


Stray Kids one-shots

by Leeminlix



Category: GOT7, Stray Kids (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/F, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22414906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leeminlix/pseuds/Leeminlix
Summary: I suck at summaries but a few one-shits filled with domestic stray kids just loving each other[Cross posted on wp on the account @/SKZ1694 both are my original works ][In editing currently !!!]
Relationships: Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin, Bang Chan/Jeon Jungkook, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin, Kim Woojin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Woojin/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Minho/Everyone, Lee Minho/Yang Jeongin
Kudos: 74





	1. Insecurities among the rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho helps others too much but doesn't help himself enough. Luckily the others will help him instead.

If the members really dwelled on it, they'd recall that Minho had always been there for them. Sure during some lives, he would respond a tad bit soullessly, but it was known that was because he would've been working right before the live. He took it as his responsibility to cook, seeing as the members really liked his cooking. He also taught the dances, helped them when they couldn't get it down. Along with helping the rest, Minho also had to devote time to himself.

It went into practicing his vocals and rap. Often he would stay in the practice room for hours, trying to perfect everything he could and would only go back to the dorms if someone dragged him out of there. But it hurt Minho when he realized, it wasn't enough.

"What?"

JYP looked at him over the top of his glasses. "You need to work harder, Minho." the man said, his words like knives.

The dancer's nails dug into his palms. "I'm sorry, sir," he muttered, not knowing what else to say.

The CEO flipped through the pages on the desk, sighing. "There have been several comments. Some about the slip up on Show Champion. Some say that your vocals aren't steady enough. There are also comments about your diet."

It was as if all of his efforts had been deemed useless.

"Just because I allowed you to come back, doesn't mean to take lightly of your performance. Felix is also improving a lot, I don't see why you can't."

'Ah.' thought Minho, bitterly. 'Because Felix is good at everything.'

'I will definitely make sure to work harder sir." he said, bowing apologetically.

JYP nodded and excused him. The boy dragged himself to the practice room, his heart slowly crumbling. He felt like all that he had ever done was just pushed off as nothing, and now his efforts were never recognized.

"Minho-Hyung."

Seungmin approached the older curious. "What did PD-him say?"

Minho smiled softly. "Nothing much. We just talked about my progress." he lied.

Seungmin smiled brightly. "You really are doing great, Hyung. I'm glad PD-him recognized your efforts."

Slowly Minho felt his heart clench. "Thanks, Seungminnie."

They walked into the practice room together, the other members fooling around.

"Ah, Hyung! Save me!"

Mingo's head snapped to the group at the sound of Hyunjin's ungodly shrieks. He stumbled as Hyunjin grabbed his arm, hiding behind him.

"What even-"

"Get back here, you brat!" yelled Felix.

"What did you do, Jinnie?" chuckled Minho.

"I just teased him about his pictures! I do that to everyone!" he whined.

The oldest dancer rolled his eyes and opened his arms slightly, Felix immediately settling in his embrace.

"Don't worry about it, Lix," he whispered, putting his back.

Felix pouted. "But you guys know how much I hate talking about my pre-debut pictures," he muttered.

Hyunjin hung his head in shame, on hearing that. "I'm sorry, Lix," he whispered.

Chan watched as the two boys hugged, Minho watching them fondly.

"Damn, Minho-hyung's good," commented Changbin, smiling.

The older members nodded in agreement.

"Ah, Minho! What did PD-him say?"

Maybe it was just Jeongin's imagination but he swore he saw Minho's eyes dim and smile fall a bit.

"Nothing much. Just about the comeback and my progress." he lied again.

Chan nodded appreciatively. "Minho does work really hard after all," he said, making the boy roll his eyes.

The practice soon resumed and it infuriated Jeongin that he couldn't nail the steps. The group started to wrap up the practice while the maknae stood in front of the mirror going over the steps again and again.

Chan stepped forward to stop him, but Minho shook his head. "I'll stay back," he whispered, shooing the other members off.

Jeongin didn't notice that Minho hadn't left and continued practicing, sweat making his shirt stick to his body. He let out a yelp as he tripped over his own feet and landed on the ground with a loud 'thud'. Tears sprung to his eyes, frustration bubbling in him.

He slammed his fist to the floor, letting out a guttural scream. Hot tears rushed from his eyes as he screamed in frustration.

"Why!" he yelled, pounding his fist to the floor over and over again.

After almost fifteen minutes he fell onto his side, his sobs reducing to small whimpers and sniffles. Finally, Minho walked out from his position and crouched down next to the maknae. He threaded his fingers through the youngest's hair.

"Minho-Hyung?" whispered the boy, slightly startled.

The dancer didn't say anything and pulled the boy onto his lap, embracing him gently. Jeongin sighed, his cheek squished against the elder's shoulder.

"You okay, baby?" murmured Minho.

Jeongin let out a pitiful whimper. "Hyung, I can't do anything right." he cried.

"Don't say that, baby. You're really talented. Don't let one move define you like that. Besides, Hyung is here to help you. If you're in any trouble, we'll definitely help you."

Minho pulled away from him and frowned at the boy's knuckles. "I would've stopped you but you seemed like you needed it. Was that wrong of me?"

Jeongin shook his head. "It's just a bit of bruising, I'll be fine, Hyung."

After almost an hour, Jeongin finally got the moves down, and he couldn't have been happier. The boy jumped onto his Hyung, a wide smile on his face. He pecked the older's cheek. "Thank you so much, Hyung," he said, hanging off the older with his legs wrapped around him.

Minho smiled, the smile that melted all of the members' hearts. "Of course, baby."

The two went back to the dorms, Chan letting out a sigh of relief when he saw them. Of course, Jeongin got a huge lecture from him about injuring himself, stressing about stupid things and relying on his Hyungs but the youngest didn't care. He was used to it anyway.

~

Seungmin was on the balcony, the wind tousling his hair. He took in a shaky breath, trying to keep his emotions at bay, but it was growing difficult as the days went on.

He had asked for some privacy, and the look in his eyes was what made Chan reluctantly agree. Of course not before reminding him that, 'Seung, you know, whatever happens, we're all in this together, right?'

Seungmin had mumbled an affirmation somewhat half-heartedly, making the leader even more worried.

The oldest was brought out of his thoughts, by the sound of the door sliding open. He let out an irritated breath.

"I swear to god, Chan-hyung I-"

"Good thing I'm not Channie-Hyung."

Seungmin turned slightly, sighing when he saw Minho behind him. "Hey, hyung."

Minho joined him against the railing, a silence engulfing them. Finally, Minho took the older's hands in his and sighed. "What's wrong, Min?"

"There's nothing wrong," replied Seungmin shortly, looking away.

The dancer scoffed. "You think I'm gonna believe that?"

"Minho-hyung," he warned.

"No, Min. We're a family. We can't help you unless you tell us what's wrong. You tell Channie-Hyung everything. What's got you hesitating now?"

Seungmin shivered slightly. "It's nothing."

"I call that bullshit."

"Language. Hyung doesn't like you saying that." corrected the boy absentmindedly.

"Come on. Tell hyung what's going on in your brain."

The boy didn't answer till the elder hugged him comfortingly, rubbing his lower back in circular patterns.

"I don't want to burden Channie-hyung. He already has so many responsibilities as the leader. He has to look after the rest of the members, make sure everything is okay for performances. He has to make tracks, look after recordings. I don't want to burden him with my silly problems." he whispered, his sight turning hazy because his eyes were tearing up.

"Even he has his own problems. His own battles. I don't want to bother him. I should keep my shit together and help him. But I haven't been doing anything."

Minho sighed. "You need to tell Channie Hyung exactly what you're thinking."

The male shook his head stubbornly.

Minho shrugged. "Don't worry, I've already done that part for you," he said. "Did you hear that, Hyung?"

Chan walked out from behind the curtains, his lips set in a firm line. "Yeah."

Seungmin froze out of fear, like a deer caught in headlights.

The leader cupped the eldest's face and sighed. "Seung, why didn't you tell me all of this?" he asked, his voice cracking in the middle.

Seungmin closed his eyes, tears falling freely. "I'm sorry. I...I just didn't want to bother you-"

"Bother me?! For heaven's sake, Kim Seungmin," growled Chan. "When have you ever bothered me?"

Seungmin rested his head on Chan's chest and sure enough, he felt the fabric grow damp.

"Hyung, you already have so much to do. I didn't want to burden you. You're always so stressed, so coming to you with my problems..."

"I rely on you a lot, Seungmin. And I want to hear about your problems. I want to help you fix whatever is going on. Not only as the leader of our team but as your lover. You will never be a burden to me."

Minho watched content, before approaching the two and hugging them. "Well, I'm glad you guys sorted everything out," he said, smiling.

The two boys looked at him, their eyes a bit damp and red, but relieved. "Thank you."

~

Minho did not expect to wake up to shouts and yells on their day off. It had been two weeks since the incident with Seungmin and a month since the one with Jeongin. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. But of course, something had to go wrong.

"Shut up, brat!"

Minho sat up so fast, his head began to spin for a few seconds.

"I hate you! What did I ever do for you to treat me like this!"

The dancer shot out of the room, ignoring the fact that he was in nothing but a tank top and his boxers. He skid to a stop next to Chan who was watching the fight worriedly.

"Hyung, what the hell is happening?" he hissed, his voice still raspy since he just woke up.

"I don't know. One minute they were glaring at each other, the next they're yelling."

Jisung and Changbin stood across from each other, faces red from all the screaming.

"Honestly, you're such a baby. Stop it, won't you?" snarled the older.

Jisung clenched his teeth. "Shut your mouth, before I punch you in the face." he hissed.

Minho bit his lip.

"Oh, is little Jisung trying to be tough?" mocked the shorter.

"Shut up, Changbin."

"Don't tell me what to do! You're a douche."

"At least I have freaking manners and know how to respect people!" yelled the squirrel-like boy.

"What the hell is going on here?" interrupted Minho finally. The two boys glared at each other not answering.

The boy snarled. "I was woken up, on a freaking day off, by your stupid argument, so one of you stop being a freaking pain in the ass and tell me why you guys are yelling." he spat.

Jisung frowned. "Changbin-Hyung's just mean."

"I'm not. You're clingy."

"Jisung's always been the type to cuddle, Changbin. What the hell has gotten into you." said the dancer, getting fed up.

"He's been sticking to me like a leech!"

Minho's mind travelled back to that one Two Kids Room episode where Changbin and Jisung where there. He recalled Jisung's upset face when he cornered Changbin for hugging everyone in the maknae line but him.

"Enough. Jisung, come with me. Channie-Hyung, deal with this kid." he said, tired. Jisung followed him quietly out of the room.

They slipped into Jisung and Jeongin's room and closed the door behind them.

Minho sat on the younger's bed and opened his arms slightly. "Come on, Sung."

The younger immediately let himself be held by the older.

"Hyung..." sobbed the younger. "I didn't--I just-"

"I know, Sung. Changbin's irrational and stupid at times but you know he wouldn't have meant to hurt you like that."

"He hates me," whispered Jisung, burying his face in the older's chest.

Minho was quiet for a while till he heard the boy's breathing become even. He slipped out of his embrace and tucked him in. He pressed his lips to Jisung's forehead before returning back to the living room.

There was a tense silence in the room, with Changbin glaring at the floor stubbornly and Chan glaring at him, vexed.

"Changbin," muttered Minho, catching his attention. "Come."

The boy didn't question it and followed the older to Minho's room.

"Do you know why Jisung has been clingy, especially with you, these days?"

Changbin scoffed. "Because-"

"No, you don't." interrupted Minho. "You're spouting words because you've gotten worked up. Either you're not able to think up of lyrics or the melody isn't fitting properly no matter how much you try and now you're a bundle of angry nerves."

Changbin gaped at him, shocked.

"Jisung just happened to be there at the wrong time to ask you to cuddle and it set you off." finished Minho.

The colour drained from Changbin's face as everything that happened in the past thirty minutes crashed onto him.

"Hyung, I-"

"You didn't mean it. I know."

The rapper sank onto Minho's bed, shame practically radiating off of him.

"Binnie, do you know why?"

"No, Hyung I don't."

"Jisung...he's been letting his doubts get the best of him. He needs to be reassured always, right?"

The rapper nodded.

"He's stopped getting that from you, Binnie. And it stressed him. Do you remember that comment he made in Two Kids Room?"

"Yeah..."

"He needs reassurance. That's all Binnie. And for him, he feels it through skinship. Don't make him shy away from the one thing he finds comfort in. He needs to know you care."

"Care?! Hyung, of course, I care for him. Why wouldn't I? I love him and I'd tell him every day if I had to-"

Minho nodded, seeing the dread show on his face. "And you haven't been doing that, Bin."

"Hyung, I-"

"Go to him. Now." urged Minho, smiling.

Changbin jumped to his feet immediately and rushed out of the room, but if he passionately kissed the older before doing so, it was his business.

"Sung?" he called out softly, slipping inside the younger's room.

He felt his heart clench when he saw the boy cocooned in the blankets.

"What, Hyung?" Jisung murmured, his voice empty.

"Sungie, baby-"

"Don't call me that!" snarled the younger.

"Sungie-"

"No!" he yelled, turning to face the older. Tears were already streaming down his face.

Changbin's breath hitched.

"Go away, Hyung!" he cried.

"Jisung, please-"

"I don't want to hear it," he said, sniffling.

"I'm sorry, baby-"

"You don't mean it."

"Please, I just-"

"Hyung. It's okay. I understand. No one really wants me. I'm just a nuisance. I don't blame you. I'm annoying, so clingy. I don't listen, I'm too hyper, I give you guys headaches. If I were you, I'd hate me too."

"No, Sungie-"

"You were right. I am such a brat-"

"NO!" shrieked Changbin, making Jisung shut up. The younger stared at him shocked. The elder clutched the sheets tightly sobbing badly at this point.

"No Jisung. You aren't annoying. You aren't too clingy. You don't get on our nerves. You are the most beautiful person ever. Don't ever say that, please." he sobbed.

He sniffled, trying to control his tears and climbed onto the bed to sit in front of Jisung. He cupped the boy's face and stared at him.

"Han Jisung. You are the most adorable, the most kind, the most hardworking, friendliest, most helpful squirrel ever. I could go on forever about how much you inspire me and what an amazing person you are. I love everything about you. I love your adorable nose that scrunches making you look even more adorable. I love your beautiful eyes that are like a milky brown ocean, I could get lost in them forever, it's cheesy but true. I love your soft fluffy hair, and I swear if the agency doesn't stop ruining with the hair dye, I will kill them-" that made the boy giggle, "-It's perfect to play with, and small satisfied noises you make are adorable. We love your hands because they're so warm and soft and you always run your hand through our hair and instantly relaxes us."

He took a deep breath, looking down and moving away a bit, trying to slow down to not let it seem like he was ranting.

"I love you so much, Jisung. And I'm sorry I've been such a dick to you recently. It's inexcusable. And I feel like absolute shit about it. I don't know what got into me, I was so stressed because JYP was on my ass about the songs and I was trying to finish it and I just-"

He was cut off by a pair of lips meeting his. He closed his eyes and melted into the kiss.

"I love you, Hyung," said Jisung once they broke apart.

Changbin's eyes glossed over again and he buried his face into the boy's chest. Jisung chuckled but fell back onto the bed, pulling Changbin down with him.

The two boys held each other close, as if afraid to let go and slowly fell asleep.

Chan paced in the living room worried.

"Jeez, Channie-Hyung, calm down, will you?" said Minho, not lifting his head off of Jeongin's shoulder.

"It's so silent. What if they killed each other?!" he stressed.

"Lix, go check on them before Chan pulls his hair out."

The Australian complied immediately, lifting himself off of the couch and moving towards the room as swift as a cat. He poked his head inside before a Cheshire-like grin spread on his face. He closed the door silently before slipping back onto the couch, leaving them confused.

"I think you should go look for yourself," he said.

The six boys quietly shuffled inside. Minho smiled softly at the pair lying in bed. He leaned forward, placing a soft kiss to the crown of their heads, while Jeongin watched the oldest dancer with admiration in his eyes.

Minho was what kept them together.

~

Hyunjin's body was too clammy, it made him feel gross. He felt so queasy, he couldn't even think of food without wanting to yeet himself out of the window (Felix was influencing him too much).

He let out a groan. He wanted to drag himself into a fridge and live there.

"Hyun?"

He let out another groan in response. Soft footsteps were heard crossing the room until a cold hand rested on his forehead.

"Shit--You're burning up!"

Hyunjin whimpered. "Hyu--Hyun--g," he mumbled, clutching his mouth.

The older immediately understood and scooped up the boy, rushing to the washroom. He gently placed the younger beside the toilet and brushed the hair off of his forehead.

"M--Min--Min-nho-Hyung-g," he whispered.

"It's alright, baby." cooed Minho, rubbing his back comfortingly. Hyunjin clutched the sides of the toilet, his stomach throwing whatever he had eaten for dinner out. He gagged, the bitter taste of bile in his mouth. His eyes had gotten watery and he felt so weak, a simple push would send him tumbling.

The older helped him rinse his mouth to get out the disgusting taste. Then he helped the boy change out of his sweaty clothes into a comfortable pair of pants and a t-shirt.

Hyunjin sighed settling back into his bed.

"I'll go tell one of the members and come back, okay?"

He hummed weakly, closing his eyes.

Minho tiptoed away, mind racing. He couldn't tell Chan because the leader had just fallen asleep after coming back from the studio. He wouldn't risk his life waking up Seungmin so he rushed to Jisung and Jeongin's room where Changbin too was sleeping.

"Changbin." he hissed, poking the younger. "Binnie, idiot, wake up."

"Hyung..? What time is it?"

"Like 2:30." muttered the older lowly.

"Then why are waking me at such an ungodly hour?"

"Hyunjinnie's sick. I don't want to wake up Channie-Hyung, so I decided to wake you up. He won't be able to do anything today. I'll stay up and look after him so don't worry but if I need back up-"

"Yeah, I got it. Should I call the manager?"

"Hyung will be sleeping, do it when It's later."

"Hyu...ng?"

Minho kissed the stirring squirrel's cheek. "It's nothing baby, go back to sleep."

The boy hummed and flipped over, throwing a leg over Changbin.

He rolled his eyes but settled back down, snuggling into the younger's chest.

Minho slipped out of the room and grabbed some cold water in a basin along with a cloth. After squeezing all of the water out of the cloth, he placed it on Seungmin's forehead, jerking the boy out of his dream-like haze due to the sudden coldness.

"Shhh, it's alright. It's just me, Hyunnie." whispered the older, nodding while the younger relaxed.

Minho was exhausted from dance practice, so often he would doze off so he reported to keeping alarms to wake him up to check up on Hyunjin.

Around 5:30 he checked the boy's temperature, relieved when he saw it had almost fallen to normal body temperature.

"Hyung, you should sleep. I'll be fine." reassured the boy weakly.

Minho rolled his eyes. "Nonsense. Your stomach needs something. Wait, I'll make some soup and bring it to you."

Making soup was tough for him, especially when his eyelids felt like sandbags and he could barely keep them open. But, he managed to pull through and brought the soup to Hyunjin who made a face.

"Don't worry, it's light and it won't make you nauseous," said Minho, handing a spoon.

He ended up finishing three-fourths of it before shaking his head, indicating he couldn't eat anymore. After another round of medicine (the first was after Changbin had been informed) Hyunjin fell asleep again.

Minho rubbed his eyes. Truthfully, he hadn't even slept when he heard Seungmin. His brain had been buzzing with thoughts, and he couldn't get them to stop.

"Minho-hyung?"

The boy hummed, forcing his eyes open.

"You should sleep," said Seungmin, taking the dish from his hands.

The dancer shook his head stubbornly. "I'm fine. Besides, who'll look after Hyunjin?"

"I'll do it. Don't worry. We have practice later today. Don't drain yourself."

Minho, being the stubborn brat he was, just decided to go to the practice room. In his hand were papers. Papers with no constructive criticism but pure hate. Looking at them, it made his stomach churn. Was he really that bad?

Maybe he lost track of time because what felt like a few minutes later, the rest of the members walked in, along with Hyunjin who was leaning against Chan. Minho immediately rushed to him, pressing his hand to his forehead and fussing like a mother.

"I'm fine, hyung," he giggled.

Minho huffed. "You shouldn't even be here! What do you think you're doing? You should be in bed, resting." he scolded.

"Hypocrite." he heard Jeongin whisper, making him freeze. Only the three of them had heard.

"Innie-"

The younger shut him up with a sharp glance. "We'll talk about this later."

Minho felt his stomach flip.

"Hyung...? What is this?"

Minho spun around, eyes widening in shock. He lunged at Felix, snatching the papers out of his hand and hiding it behind his back.

"Minho. What was that?" Chan asked carefully.

The dancer shook his head frantically. "It's nothing!" he said, backing away from them.

Jisung and Felix exchanged a look before nodding. Felix held his hands up and approached the older slowly, while Jisung walked towards him from behind.

"It's alright hyung," whispered Felix.

Minho's eyes darted around the room panicky. Before he could dash out, Jisung grabbed the papers from his hands.

"No!" shrieked Minho as Felix held him back. The rest of the members crowded around Jisung, eyes scanning the paper.

Felix watched as Hyunjin's and the maknae's expressions became murderous.

Minho whimpered in fear.

'No! Now they're gonna throw me out! I don't wanna leave! I don't wanna leave them!'

Felix noticed Minho shaking and hugged him tightly.

"Why were you so scared to show us this, hyungie?" he whispered softly, brushing the elder's bangs out of his eyes.

"I'm sorry." whimpered the older, surprising them.

"I'm sorry for being so bad. I promise I'll practice harder. So please don't throw me out. Please don't push me away. I don't want to leave you. I love you guys too much. I don't want you to stop loving me!" he cried, clutching Felix's arms tightly.

Jeongin crouched next to them. "Hyung, why would we leave you or push you out? Who gave you those sheets?"

Minho sniffled. "PD-nim," he whispered.

Seungmin growled. "That day when you went to see him. He didn't compliment your progress. He fucking gave you this?!" seethed the boy.

"I'm sorry for lying. I didn't want to make it a big deal and-"

"What else did he say?" cut in Hyunjin.

"That even though Lix was in the same situation, he was improving more than I am-"

Before Chan could storm out, Woojin had grabbed his arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

Chan grit his teeth. "I'm going to PD-nim."

"Chan-hyung, don't do anything that'll make the situation worse," said Changbin, walking towards Minho. He crouched down in front of the older.

"Hyung...do really think that we'd ever stop loving you?"

Minho gazed at him, his eyes full of fear. "Oh Binnie, I'm so scared that you will. I'm nothing but a burden for the group. I'm holding you back and if I wasn't there then-"

"We wouldn't be Stray Kids." cut in Jisung firmly. "Hyung, believe me, you aren't holding us back. The progress that you've had is incredible, and we're not gonna let that melted Roblox faced man tell you otherwise."

"Jisung!" gasped Minho shocked. "Don't call him that!"

"But it's true." pouted the younger, making all of them laugh.

"Melted Roblox faced man," echoed Jeongin, cackling.

Felix giggled, and soon all of them were in tears, laughing a bit too hard.

"Okay, shut up before someone hears us."

"Already did."

They all turned, hearts in their mouth, sighing when they saw BamBam there.

"Hey, BamBam, what's up?" asked Chan.

"Melted Roblox faced man? Damn Jisung, I'm proud." snickered the boy.

Jisung bowed, grinning. "Thanks, hyung."

"Get out of here, you idiot. Yugyeom is probably looking for you," yelled Chan, sniggering.

Fear appeared on BamBam's face as he ran out, the door closing behind him.

"Now let's talk," said Chan, sitting on the floor.

The others joined him, Felix and Jeongin on either side of Minho.

"Minho, next time this happens, we want you to talk about it to us. If you ever feel unsure, or sad or weak, tell us. We want to be there for you."

Seungmin nodded. "You scolded me for not confiding in Chan-hyung because I was worried about being a burden. But you were doing the same thing yourself."

Minho nodded. "Okay," he whispered.

"I don't think you realize this hyung," started off the maknae, making everyone look at him. He faced Minho, looking straight into his eyes.

"You're what is keeping us together and in one piece. A month ago, you helped me when I was so mentally exhausted. I couldn't get any of the steps right and I was so stressed. You helped me calm down and taught me the steps patiently. Two and a half weeks ago, Seungmin-hyung's doubts started to get the better of him. You got him to talk about it, helping him open up to Channie-hyung. You fixed the hyungs' relationship. A few days ago, Changbin-hyung and Jisung-hyung were in an argument. You got Jisung-hyung to calm down. You also knocked sense into Changbin-hyung. They ended up making up because you helped them out. Even today. You woke up when Seungmin-hyung was sick and looked after him. Despite not have gotten any sleep, you stayed up, changing the wet cloth on his forehead, you gave him his medicine and made him soup. After all of this, you came here and practised for two hours. You've been working yourself to the bone, yet you always love and help the members."

He took Minho's hands and sighed. "We don't mind spoiling you, so let us do it. Take rest, let us smother you with cuddles and kisses. Let us shower you with compliments and be disgustingly cute. Let us say ridiculously cliche lines and make you feel like puking but also make you grin brightly because we mean it. We can only do all of this if you let us. So..." he leaned forward.

"Let us," he whispered, before kissing him softly.

Minho's eyes fluttered closed as their lips moved together softly. Before he knew it he was crying.

Jeongin pulled away and the members could see the amount of love in his eyes.

"Ah! I want to kiss you guys too!" whined Jisung, throwing himself onto Minho.

Minho giggled, wiping his tears, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Chan's heart melted when he saw the boy's smile.

"I'm sorry, for not talking to you guys. I promise I'll come to you guys more often. I won't take hate comments too seriously. And I'll make sure to rest." he said.

The members exchanged happy smiles before pouncing on him so cuddle him to death.

But even in that suffocating moment with a flurry of limbs, Minho had never felt safer between the seven loves of his life.


	2. Surprises among the alleyways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Jeongin wants is to protect Minho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // homophobia,

Minho shivered, wrapping his jacket around him closer. The biting cold wind caused him to shudder again. He curled into a ball on the ground in an effort to use his body heat to warm up. It was no use because his skin too had become cold.

'Stupid child! Get out of my house!'

He choked back a sob. Why did things turn out like this? 

"Oh my goodness sir! Are you okay?"

Minho felt himself being pushed to a sitting position. He raised his head weakly, meeting warm brown eyes that were filled with worry.

"Lee Minho?" gasped the stranger.

Minho's head swam, he couldn't think straight. With a groan. he fell into the stranger's arm and blacked out.

Yang Jeongin was cursing his best friend. If Hwang Hyunjin hadn't made him follow Han Jisung for so long maybe he could've been at home curled by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate. The things he did for that boy. 

Of course, Jeongin wanted to get home quickly, but when he saw someone lying on the ground, curled into a ball, he couldn't ignore them. He felt fear fill his veins, worried the person wouldn't wake up.

"Oh my goodness sir! Are you okay!" he said, slowly pushing him into a sitting position. The stranger slowly lifted his head and Jeongin couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped his lips.

He could recognize those doe eyes anywhere, and it baffled the young boy that _Lee Minho_ was the stranger curled up on the floor. He only began to panic more, when Minho fell limp in his arms. 

He pulled the older to his feet, swaying a bit due to his weight. However, when he felt Minho pressed against him, he couldn't stop the heat from rushing to his cheeks.

"Now's not the time for your gay ass to get flustered," he chided to himself quietly.

As quick as he could with his noodle arms, Jeongin dragged the senior to his house. Smacking the door open, he stumbled into his house, Minho hanging in his arms.

"Mom! Help!" he yelled, struggling to keep both of them upright. 

His mother came rushing into the room, eyes widening at the sight of a passed out boy in her son's arms. She took him out of Jeongin's hands and gasped, feeling the boy's freezing cold skin.

"Get the hot packs, I'll lay him down in the guest room. Get some extra bedsheets while you're at it," she ordered, rushing to the room.

In half an hour, they had tucked the boy in and bundled him up, to keep him warm.

"What happened?" asked his mother.

Jeongin shrugged, biting his lip in worry. "I found him curled up on the ground. When I sat him upright, he passed out in my arms. God knows how long he was out there." 

The woman sighed in worry. "We'll keep him here, right?" she asked.

"If you don't mind. He was out on a November night with nothing but a jacket and sweatpants, lying on the floor, I'm guessing his family isn't eager to hear from him."

The woman nodded. "If he wakes up, give him the porridge and water," she instructed before leaving the room.

Jeongin nodded. Once his mother left he stared at the boy lying in bed. Everyone knew Lee Minho. He was one of the most popular people in college, part of the renowned dance crew that consisted of him, Hyunjin, Felix, Changmin, Juyeon, Chan (not the Chan he knew), Myungho.

He wasn't gonna lie, Minho was handsome. And when he says handsome, to him he's drop-dead gorgeous. Jeongin fell for the elder ever since that one time they had talked. He had come to the dance practice room to watch Hyunjin and Minho ended up coming up to him and offering him a drink. 

They talked for almost fifteen minutes and the younger was pleased to find out that Minho was extremely nice and kind, a little flirty too. His small comments left the boy flustered.

So yes, perhaps keeping the older in his house was not the best idea if he was trying not to catch feelings.

A groan brought him out of his thoughts and he saw Minho's eyes flutter open.

"Minho-hyung?" he said softly so as to not startle him.

Minho's head whipped in his direction. "J-Jeongin?!"

The boy offered a half-smile. "Looks like you have enough energy to speak. Are you okay?"

The older pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remember something. "Ah, were you the person who approached me on the street?"

Jeongin nodded. 

He sighed, sitting up. "I should probably get going-"

"And where exactly will you go?" cut in the redhead.

The older winced. "Home?"

Jeongin scoffed. "Yeah sure. You're staying here at my house from now on."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"So, are you gonna eat your porridge or...?"

Minho glared at him for a while before sighing. "Yeah fine, I'll eat," he muttered, crossing his arms across his chest and pouting.

It took all of Jeongin's willpower to not look at the older's lips.

Meanwhile, the dancer was stuffing the food into his mouth, almost groaning as eating it.

"You're eating as if you haven't eaten in three days."

The younger watched as he flinched slightly.

"How oddly specific..." said Minho, laughing nervously.

Jeongin's eyes narrowed. "Hyung, when's the last time you had a meal?"

"Lunch?"

"Lies. You said you had a heavy breakfast so you didn't want to stress your stomach."

"Right, it was in the morning-"

"Hyung. How long has it been since you've had a meal?"

Minho bit his lip. "Monday. Monday afternoon."

"Monday?! As in, four days ago?"

The dancer didn't say anything.

"Hyung I don't know what's going on. But one thing's for sure, you aren't going back. Clearly, they weren't paying enough attention to you, or they don't care enough. You're staying here, whether you like it or not."

"Jeongin, I-"

"If you want to apologize or thank me, save it. I want to do this."

"Okay," he whispered.

"Sleep well, hyung. I'll be in the room right across. Knock if you need anything. If I don't answer, just come in."

Jeongin gathered the plates and walked out, closing the door behind him after offering the older a smile.

\---

It wasn't odd for Minho to wake up from a nightmare in the early hours of the morning. That doesn't mean he was used to it, nor does it mean he liked it. Nights like that were the worst and after he got kicked out, it got worse.

Of course, eventually, he took up Jeongin's offer and woke him up in the middle of the night, feeling guilty.

"Hyung? Why are you awake?" 

Minho felt a shiver run down his spine. The younger's voice was raspy due to sleep, having a peculiar effect on him.

"I'm sorry for waking you up, Innie. It's just I'm getting a lot of nightmares-"

Minho couldn't even finish his sentence because Jeongin had pulled him into the bed next to him.

"Don't worry, hyung. Nightmares are best fought off with cuddles." whispered the younger, sleepily. He threw a leg over Minho and held him close.

"Let's just sleep."

It became a routine for Minho to slip into Jeongin's bed every night and neither of them was complaining. 

"Jeongin..." he whispered one night.

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're okay with this? Like are you sure you're not uncomfortable with this?"

Jeongin scoffed. "If I didn't like it, I would've told you. So shut up and let me cuddle you."

Maybe it was that sarcasm and bluntness that Minho found so endearing. The way that his eyes sparkled when it came to trot and animations. The way his bright smile would show when he really was pleased with something. The way he would become so child-like when it came to ice cream or games. The way he would pout and whine when he felt things were unfair.

"You're falling fast."

Minho choked on his drink, resulting in frantic smacks on his back and him without air for three seconds.

"What?" he wheezed.

"You're falling so fast, Hyung. Have you seen the way you look at him?" whined Jisung.

"No." denied Minho stubbornly. He was scared. What if really did fall too hard? Would Jeongin ever like him back?

"Don't be an idiot. Both of you are oblivious airheads." chided Changbin.

Minho sighed. "I don't want to get my hopes up."

Jisung and Changbin exchanged a look but kept quiet.

That night Minho had an alarmingly bad nightmare. He woke up, covered in sweat, hyperventilating, hands shaking.

Jeongin stirred awake, shooting up when he saw Minho's state. He cupped Minho's face and forced the frantic boy to look at him.

"Hyung. Hey, hey, hey. Hyung. Look at me. It's okay. I'm right here." he coaxed, keeping his voice soft.

The elder whimpered clutching his arms weakly.

"What's wrong, hyung?"

"They threw me out. Just because I like guys instead of girls. They threw me out. They said that no one would ever want me. And I'll always be alone."

Jeongin felt anger rush through him.

"Don't worry, hyung. We won't leave you. I won't leave you. I promise." he said.

Tears flowed down the dancer's cheeks. He could only sob harder, the younger trying to comfort him.

"You'll never be alone, hyung. I'll always be with you."

Minho shook his head. "You won't, Innie. One day you'll fall in love with a lucky boy and you'll move on, while I'm left behind."

Jeongin sighed before whispering, "You won't be left behind, hyung. Cuz you'll be that lucky boy."

The older froze. "W--What?"

"Hyung...I like you."

"You don't mean it." blurted the man.

"Of course I do. Have I ever lied to you Hyung?"

"But I'm....me. How could you like me?"

"That's simple," said the younger, smiling. " _Because_ you're you."

Minho stared at the other shell shocked.

"Hyung, do you like me too?"

"I do." he murmured, looking down bashfully.

There it was. The butterflies that Jeongin had felt from day one. But now instead of butterflies, they were more like dragons, raging in his body. With a surge of confidence, he pulled Minho's chin up with his finger and kissed him slowly.

It took a while for Minho to realize the boy was kissing him, but when he did, he kissed him back sweetly. When they broke apart, Minho began to tear up again, alarming Jeongin.

"What's wrong, hyung? Did I do something? Did you not want to kiss? Am I a bad kisser?"

Minho giggled. "Happy tears, idiot. They're happy tears." he breathed out. Then he smirked. "Besides. You're a _great_ kisser."

Jeongin flushed and hit the older's chest weakly. "Meanie."

They sat there, soaking in everything until-

"So, wanna date?"

Jeongin burst out laughing. "Really, hyung?"

"What?"

"Yes, I wanna date you."

"Great, because I wasn't gonna take no for an answer."


	3. Love among heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung loves Felix. Felix falls for someone else.

Jisung should've been careful. He had a knack for getting himself into bad situations. And his friends had grown accustomed to it. Like that one time, he pulled the fire alarm. Or that time he stood up to a bully and dumped chocolate milk on that guy's head. Even that time he placed a fake roach near Hyunjin's chair, causing the poor boy to freak out. (He ended up apologizing profusely and treating the dancer to bubble tea.)

But when transfer student Lee Felix makes an appearance, Jisung found out that the biggest screw up ever had happened. He fell in love.

Jisung would never forget the day he realized it. It was like suddenly every freckle on the boy's face was more prominent. And the glimmer in his eyes became extremely captivating. Even the smallest gestures made him go red so many times, he was convinced he would die.

But things like that were too good to be true. Because happy endings belonged in a Disney movie, not in Jisung's life. He should have seen it coming. Even when he woke up that day, he knew, something was gonna happen and it would be something big.

So when Felix came to school with a love-struck face rambling about the new student, Jisung couldn't help but force a smile and tease him. The rest of their friends snuck glances at the squirrel-like boy. It was Seungmin who actually got it out of him. Only a month later.

"Ji."

Jisung froze. "Min. What's up?"

Out of all the friends, Jisung felt like Seungmin understood him the best. After being friends for almost 13 years, they had picked up each other's habits and could tell what the other was thinking with a simple look.

So, for the first time in a long time, Jisung cried. He sobbed and sobbed in Seungmin's arms, feeling hurt and angry at himself. Even the other couldn't help but cry a little with his best friend. The feeling was all too familiar for both of them. A heart-wrenching sadness that had never left their hearts but rather hid away and looked for the best time to show up again, making their lives a mess again.

Both boys had lost their fathers at a young age. They were incredibly proud of their dads since both men had served as policemen for a large part of their lives. However, one night they didn't come back. Their mothers were devastated, they'd lost the loves of their lives, after all. Depending on each other, the four became closer, practically family.

When they went to school the next day, five boys jumped on them, demanding an explanation for their red, puffy eyes.

Seungmin just shook his head, holding Jisung's hand tightly in his own.

"Where's Felix?" asked the boy.

"I don't think you want to see him," said Woojin uneasily.

But the goddess of luck seemed to have something against Jisung, because not even two seconds later, a certain Aussie came bounding down the halls, fingers intertwined with a certain girl.

"Guys!" he said, grinning.

Seungmin gave Jisung's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You know Jeona, right?"

The group murmured affirmations, unsure and a bit worried about where this was going.

"We're dating!" he declared, raising their hands.

Jisung felt his heart drop. He took in a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face. "Congratulations, Lix! It's about time!" he teased.

It was at these moments that Chan had so much respect for the younger. Smiling in the face of his crush who just declared he was dating...Jisung was really strong.

Seungmin was the next to speak. "Yeah, congratulations Felix. You've ranting non-stop about her, I'm glad you had the guts to confess," he said, a small smile on his face. He knew Jisung wouldn't want them to be hostile. Felix still was their friend. So they congratulated him enthusiastically.

"You okay?" whispered Seungmin, as the couple left.

Jisung nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I will be."

For the next week, Seungmin and Jisung were attached by the hip. 100% chance if you saw one of them, the other would be near. You would rarely find them apart, which Felix found confusing. They barely spoke anymore, keeping to themselves. Even the other boys didn't bother them. When he confronted Chan about it, the older just shook his head.

"Give him some time. He'll be okay." he had said.

Nonetheless, poor Felix had never been so confused ever in his life.

Slowly but surely, Jisung got better. No, he hadn't gotten over Felix. But he finally had enough strength to talk to the boy properly and go back to normal. But it's not like he didn't notice the evil glares Jeona threw at him. But, if he was honest, he didn't care about her problem with him.

Until she confronted him.

"What do you want Jeona?"

The girl glared at him.

"Are you just gonna glare at me or say something?"

"I'm not stupid, Han. I know you like Felix."

Jisung rolled his eyes. "Okay, great. It's not like everybody else except for the boy himself knows."

"It's disgusting. Seeing you stare at him like that. He's my boyfriend. And you're in the way."

"I never pinned you as a homophobe, Jeona. Yes, I love him. But understand, you have him. He's so in love with you. You don't have to worry about me talking him away'." he said calmly.

"But it doesn't seem like that. It's always "Jisung this" "Jisung that". It gets on my nerves. "Oh, why are Seungmin and Jisung sticking to each other?" "Oh Jisung didn't eat properly today, I hope he's okay." "Jisung doesn't even talk to me these days. Did I upset him?" IT'S SICKENING."

Jisung sighed. "What do you want me to do about it, Jeona? Just because you're jealous, don't take it out on me."

The girl grinned evilly. With a snap of her fingers, three girls appeared next to her. Within seconds, they began kicking the boy, their heels digging into his skin painfully.

He coughed, feeling one of their feet collide with his chest. It seemed like forever when they stepped away.

"I can always tell someone, Jeona," he whispered.

She smirked. "Ah, but you won't. After all, you wouldn't want your dear Seugminnie to get hurt, right?"

"Don't you dare touch a hair on his head." seethed the boy, clutching his stomach.

They left him on the floor, aching and breathing heavily. Finally, he managed to pull himself up and drag himself to a friend's house.

"Hel-Jisung?"

"Hey, Changmin. Could you help me out?"

The boy didn't hesitate to pull Jisung in and treat his wounds, but he was angry that Jisung wasn't going to tell anyone.

"Just stay safe, okay?"

"Okay."

He was never safe. Every day, Jisung became jumpier. He always made sure someone else was with Seungmin. He never interested too much with Felix, in fear of pissing off the girl further.

But this only made Felix even more frustrated.

As the week passed, Felix started to see sides of Jeona he had never seen. She always whispered snarky comments when the topic came to Jisung. She became hot-tempered and demanded more attention. She didn't let him hang out with his friends as much, and it was starting to irritate him.

When Jisung went to school the next day, he had forgotten something important.

"Happy Birthday!" squealed Hyunjin, jumping on the boy.

Jisung resister the urge to cry out when his bruises were pressed.

"Thanks, Jinnie," he said softly.

The rest soon joined.

They all wished him, and slowly his smile began to come back.

"Oh, it's your birthday?"

And with that, his smile disappeared. Jeona was there.

Felix surged forward, hugging Jisung tightly.

"Happy birthday, Sungie," he whispered. When he pulled away, he shoved a box into Jisung's hands.

The older (by one day lol) frowned. "You didn't have to get me a present."

"But I wanted to. So open it."

Jisung carefully took off the wrapping paper (that made them giggle) and gasped when he saw the gift.

"You always ranted about how much you loved Pororo so..." trailed off the Aussie, turning pink.

Forgetting that he was supposed to stay away from him, forgetting he had a crush on him, forgetting every shitty thing that had happened to him, Jisung hugged Felix tightly, holding back tears.

He pulled away, a huge smile on his face. "Thank you so much!" he said, his eyes shining.

No, it wasn't that Felix had fallen out of love with Jeona. He had never been in love with _her_ , but rather _the boy that stood in front of him now_.

After school ended, Felix pulled Jeona aside for a few minutes. The girl didn't suspect anything, she simply thought Felix wanted to steal a few kisses before he left. But that wasn't true.

"You're what?!"

"I'm breaking up with you," he said.

"But you love me!"

"I don't. You've separated me from my friends, you've become so demanding and you've become mean. I wouldn't fall in love with someone like that."

'Someone like that...'

"It's Han, isn't it?" she spat.

His eyebrows shot up but he laughed. "Congratulations, Jeona. Yes, it is. I love him." he said, fiercely.

And he left. He felt a bit bad, leaving her like that, so harshly. But soon he would realize, she deserved it.

Later that day, the eight boys came over to Jisung's house. They planned to stay over since Felix's birthday was the next day.

"You did what?!" shrieked Seungmin.

Felix shrunk back a bit. "I broke up with her."

"Why?"

"Because I like Jisung."

Seungmin stared at him gobsmacked. For a few seconds, he was frozen till he tackled Felix into a hug.

"Oh, thank god." sniffled Seungmin. "It's about time, you dumb-dumb."

"Dumb dumb?" laughed the older. "You can do better than that, Min."

Jisung had been sent on some errands by his mom, so he should've come back in ten minutes. But he never came back. As it became alarmingly close to eight, Felix had had enough.

"Let's go look for him," he said, jumping out of his seat, grabbing a jacket and slipping into his slippers. Everyone rushed out after him, Chan promising Jisung's mother that they would call once they found him.

They looked everywhere. But it was in vain. Felix was close to tears. Where had Jisung gone?

They had almost lost hope until they heard laughs mixed with a cry.

Before Felix knew it he was already running towards the sound.

Minho let out a strangled gasp.

"You bitch!" seethed Hyunjin, grabbing Jeona's arm thus preventing her from escaping.

Felix fell to his knees, shaking. He gently scooped Jisung into his arms.

"J-Ji?"

Jisung's eyes opened slightly. "Lix..."

"Why didn't you tell us?" whispered the Aussie.

"She's your girlfriend. I didn't want to ruin our friendship."

"Was. She was my girlfriend."

"Oh really...? Was that why she was angrier today?"

"How long has this been going on?"

Jisung stared at the sky. "A week....?"

Felix heard the distant sound of an ambulance.

"Why did you break up with her?"

"Because I love you." sobbed Felix.

"Ah...Lix." murmured Jisung. "I love you too."

"Y-You do?"

"Yeah. Since forever. Why do you think I kept to myself when you started dating?"

"I'm sorry..." cried the boy.

The ambulance took Jisung to the hospital, while Jeona was taken to the police for assault.

Felix sobbed in Seungmin's arms.

"I'm sorry." he cried, shaking.

Seungmin stroked his hair as they waited in the hospital. "I know Felix. You can make it up to him after he's discharged. Love is pain after all."

The next day, Jisung finally woke up, to see Felix sleeping on the chair, their fingers intertwined.

"Lix."

Felix groaned. "Five more minutes, mom."

"Okay, but I'm not your mom."

Felix shot up, eyes wide.

"Ji?"

"Hey, Lix."

Felix cupped Jisung's face gently. "You're awake," he whispered, tearing up.

Jisung lifted a hand to wipe his tears. "I am."

" 'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay. None of it was really your fault. But..."

He smirked.

"If you really are guilty, there's something you could do."

Felix nodded eagerly.

"Endless amount of cuddles. And don't ever leave me."

Felix's eyes became misty again as he joined their lips and kissed the boy softly.

"I love you, Ji."

"I love you too, Lix."


	4. Love among heartbreak (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung and Felix were happy. Maybe it was time for Seungmin's happy ending.

Seungmin disliked his life. It wasn't burning hate, but a dull pain. Jisung had been the one to pull him from his slump, making his days bearable, till they met their five other friends.

So when Jisung fell in love, he made it his mission to make sure that his best friend was happy. In the end, Jisung did end up happy. And that made Seungmin happy. Yes, Jisung got hurt a lot. And so did Felix. But they were happy now. That's what mattered.

"Seungmin, I hope you haven't forgotten."

The boy shook his head, smiling politely. "Of course not, ma'am," he said.

The next day was the talent showcase. Seungmin always participated, not to get profit from it, but because he wanted something to keep him busy at the end of the year. To distract him...

Seungmin hadn't always been so cold. No, he'd just been hurt. Because he'd fallen in love and that boy had left him. If he closed his eyes and concentrated enough he could almost hear the older's stupid laugh. 

Seo Changbin had been the cause of Kim Seungmin's euphoria. It was cheesy but true. He brought life and laughter to the younger's life and went he left, he took all that with him.

The short male had been whisked off to the States and had disappeared without telling Seungmin, leaving him devastated. Jisung being the faithful best friend he was, stuck with Seungmin for as long as he needed. 

But what Seungmin didn't know was that Changbin was equally devastated. His father had forced him to go to the States and it all happened so fast. His phone was taken away and he was given a new one. And what hurt him the most was that his dad was doing it _because_ of Seungmin. But he was going to make everything right soon. 

The day of the talent showcase was the day after Jisung was discharged. The boy was practically bursting with energy, running around the house like a hyperactive squirrel (which is what he was).

"Calm down Jisung." hissed Seungmin the next day when it was almost the younger's turn.

"I can't wait to hear your voice again, Min."

Seungmin looked away, guilty. After Changbin had left, he had stopped singing. Because the stupid boy wasn't there to remind him that his voice was beautiful.

No other words were exchanged because Seungmin's name was called. He walked onto the stage nervously, immediately searching for Jisung. Once their eyes met, he relaxed a little. He would do well. For Jisung.

_It was a really hard day today  
My heart aches for you  
The only thing I can do for you  
Is to be next to you, I'm sorry_

_You're so pretty when you smile  
So every time you lose that smile  
Even if I have to give my all  
I want to give it back to you_

_I want to cry for you  
I want to hurt instead of you  
I don't want any scars in your heart  
Ever again_

_When you love someone  
So much that it overflows  
It's so amazing  
Because this is how it is_

Seungmin closed his eyes, holding onto the mic tightly and letting himself sink into the song. It was a song he listened to frequently, mainly because of its calming vibes and touching lyrics.

_This is a song for you  
I'm singing for you_

_This is a song for you  
I'm singing for you  
I'll give you my everything_

_I want to cry for you  
I want to hurt instead of you  
I don't want any scars in your heart  
Ever again_

_When you love someone  
So much that it overflows  
It's so amazing  
Because this is how it is_

He was surprised his voice didn't break in the middle, from all the emotions rushing through him. He opened his eyes slowly and stared at Jisung who was teary-eyed. Suddenly, the lights went off.

Before Seungmin could open his mouth to ask what happened, the lights flickered back on. He frowned when he saw the chairs pulled to the walls.

**I hope I can be a little helpful at least  
I hope I can be your resting place  
I'll try to make you feel at peace  
Whenever you think of me during your busy days**

**You're such a soft-hearted person  
Every time you are silently in pain  
Even if I have to give my all  
I want to make you smile again**

**I want to cry for you  
I want to hurt instead of you  
I don't want any scars in your heart  
Ever again**

**When you love someone  
So much that it overflows  
It's so amazing  
Because this is how it is**

Seungmin could recognize that voice with a slight rasp that sounded amazing when rapping but so sweet and soft when singing. But no, he didn't want to accept. He didn't know how to react.

There, in front of the stage stood a familiar boy with sharp eyes and black hair. He hadn't changed much. Slightly more built, and slightly taller.

The younger stood there frozen, till it hit him.

Changbin was there.

Seo Changbin, the useless boy that left him and broke his heart in the process...but the boy that he loved so much, was standing in front of him.

That was what got his feet to move. He leaped off the stage and ran, straight into Changbin's arms. He jumped onto the boy, wrapping his arms around his neck and feeling the other's strong hands grip his waist to steady them. Seungmin pulled away slightly cupping Changbin's face and staring at him.

"You're actually here," he whispered.

The older smiled softly. "Hi, Minnie."

_Minnie_...That was what Changbin used to call him. Before he knew it he was crying.

"You idiot." he sobbed.

"I'm sorry."

"You just left me. Do you know how much I missed you?"

"I'm so sorry."

He was crying too.

"It was my dad. I didn't want to leave."

They hugged tightly like that for a while before Jisung came up to them. "Changbin-hyung."

"Jisung. I-"

The younger cut him off with a hug. "We missed you."

"I missed you guys too."

"Hyung!"

"Felix!" laughed Changbin, pulling in the Australian for a hug. "Your Korean has improved!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!!"

Felix beamed at the compliment. "Thanks, hyung." 

Jisung smiled at Seungmin. "How was our surprise?"

"You knew?!"

"Yeah."

"I hate you."

"Aww, I love you too. Now get going. You'll have a lot to catch up on."

The pair walked to the park nearby, hands holding the others. They sat on a bench and were quiet for a while.

"I didn't want to leave, ya know?"

"Really?"

"That day after I went back home, all of my stuff was packed. My dad said if I didn't come with them...it wouldn't end well. He wanted to get me away from you. We left on an overnight flight. It was horrible, Min. He took my phone away, gave me another. It was the worst year of my life."

"How'd you come here?"

"My step-dad. He got me back."

Seungmin sucked in a breath. Changbin had never really talked about his mother and her husband. But from the smile on the older's face, he knew things were gonna be okay.

"She found out about how dad got me there and immediately appealed to the court. This time I didn't go with my dad."

"He never treated you well," whispered Seungmin.

"Yeah."

"I missed you, Bin-hyung."

"I missed you more. Life was hell. I made a few friends." he laughed. "They wanted to punch dad."

"You should've let them."

"Nah...I'd rather do it myself," he smirked.

"Idiot." muttered the younger.

He laughed again. 

"This year was hard for me too. Even Jisung."

"He told me what happened. What a bitch."

"He didn't tell anyone cuz she said she would hurt me, Binnie. I don't deserve him."

Changbin turned and pressed a feather-light kiss to the other's forehead. "I'd do it in a heartbeat, and Jisung would do the same again."

They fell into calm silence, neither wanting to break it. They just sat there, holding hands and enjoying the cool breeze.

"Did you date anyone while I was gone?"

Seungmin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I did actually."

In a flash, Changbin had grabbed his wrist, forcing him to look at him. "What?"

"I'm joking, hyung. Geez." he laughed. 

"Good. I wouldn't have forgiven you otherwise."

Seungmin raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Who are you to tell me whether to date or not? My dad?"

"Make that dadd-"

"Uh no." interrupted the younger, a disgusted expression on his face.

Changbin laughed. "Sure thing, baby."

The boy turned red at the name. "You're so stupid," he muttered.

The older shrugged, pulling him closer. His breath fanned against his lips. "Can I kiss you?"

Seungmin closed the gap between them, smiling slightly at the familiar feeling of the older's soft lips on his. He wouldn't have had it any other way.


	5. Protection among the kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang Jeongin was waiting for something to spice up his life. That something ended up being a beautiful boy named Lee Felix.

Yang Jeongin's life was boring. Well, he wasn't a fan of drama-filled life...but a little spice never hurt anyone, right? Lucky for him, he got his spice delivered by none other than Lee Felix. A handsome transfer student from Australia with blonde hair that was styled in smooth waves and perfect white teeth. 

With his chocolate brown eyes that lit up with happiness occasionally, Jeongin found himself in a bit of trouble. That trouble being, falling for the boy faster than he expected. But when Jeongin officially met Felix, it wasn't as normal as he hoped?

Jeongin had been rushing to find Changbin, for the boy had forgotten that he had to drive him back home. So while scouting the usual places, he found pretty boy, Lee Felix, surrounded by four other boys, in a corner.

The young boy inched forward worriedly. Felix stared at the boys confused. Jeongin knew that the boy wasn't exactly the most fluent in Korean so he probably had no idea what the guys were saying.

However, he understood everything. Anger pulsed through him as he slammed his finger on the call button, pressing the phone to his ear.

**"Hello?"**

"Ah, hyung. I need some help."

**"What's up?"**

If anyone had been watching Jeongin, they would've seen the dark smirk that appeared on his face.

"I'm on the third floor, East Wing. Some people need to be taught a lesson."

**"I'll be there."**

Jeongin turned his attention back to the group, frowning when he saw the boys cornering Felix further. The Australian was terrified. As soon as one of the bullies lifted their fist, Jeongin rushed from his spot.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said.

The three boys turned in unison. Jeongin caught Felix's doe eyes, filled with terror and smiled reassuringly for a second before turning back to the bullies.

"What do you want, Yang?" snapped one of them. Kim Yehna.

"Ah-ah," warned Jeongin, shaking his head. "Bullying the transfer student? That's a new low."

A frightening gleam appeared in the young boy's eyes. "Hasn't Changbin-hyung taught you enough?"

The second boy began to shake. "Don't tell me you called him?!" Choi Moyma.

Jeongin laughed. "When have I not? But it seems you never stop. Maybe next time I should call Chan-hyung."

Seo Changbin and Bang Chan were Jeongin's protectors from day one. They took him under their wings wanting to preserve boy's innocence. 

"It's not like we were doing anything wrong." sneered the third. Kim Hikan. He was the bravest of them. The leader and roped the other two into all his shit when they didn't want to have to do anything with it.

"He's a fucking--"

Felix might not have understood most of the conversation but he definitely understood that insult. Hurt flooded his eyes and he looked down to hide his tears.

If Jeongin was angry before, he was livid now. Seeing the older hunched over, trying not to sob, something broke in Jeongin.

"Jeongin."

"Did you hear them, hyung?"

Changbin stopped behind the male, equally pissed. "I heard enough."

That's when the leader realized he had fucked up. Jeongin was a soft-hearted boy. He never judged anyone by what people said, but rather by what he's witnessed them do. He was polite to girls and boys alike, and his smile melted hearts. It took a lot to piss off Jeongin, for he was the most understanding boy the school had seen. 

So when, Jeongin became angry. It was as if the gates of hell were open.

"Are you an idiot?" hissed the first boy. "Why would you say that?"

"Listen to your friends, _leader_. They're clearly smarter than you," said Jeongin, a threatening look in his eyes.

"What do you think we should do?"

Jeongin let out a sigh. "Wait, one sec."

He walked towards Felix, frowning when he saw the boy flinch.

"Felix-hyung," he whispered.

The boy looked up, face showing signs of tears.

"Y-Yes?"

Jeongin paused for a moment. _"Are you more comfortable speaking in English?"_

Felix's face brightened slightly. _"Yes."_

Jeongin held his hand out and let the older grip it, pulling him up.

_"Okay, now the choice is yours. Do you want Changbin to deal with them? Or do you want to leave it?"_

Felix glanced at the boys, fear in his eyes. Jeongin placed a finger underneath Felix's chin, making the boy look at him. 

_"They won't bother you either way. We'll be with you, okay? So don't let your fear for them cover your decisions."_

At that moment Felix was hit with a warm feeling, something he hadn't felt, that made him grow red.

_"I-It's fine. You don't need to beat them up. I just don't want to be bothered again."_ he whispered, as Jeongin let go of his chin.

"Okay, hyung."

Jeongin turned back to the three, making them flinch. He smirked. "You're lucky, Felix-hyung has a heart. If it was up to me, things wouldn't have ended easily," he said, darkly.

Changbin sighed. He knew how sensitive Jeongin was to such stuff. 

"If I see you near him ever again," the three boys grew pale at the boy's expression, "I'll show you something worse than death."

_"Come on, hyung,"_ hewhispered, gently grabbing the boy by his arm and leading him out, Changbin trailing behind him.

They reached Changbin's car in a few minutes and Jeongin leaned against it with a sigh. 

"Tired?" asked Changbin quietly.

"Extremely. I hate doing this." murmured Jeongin. 

"Um...Jeongin?"

The two turned their heads to see Felix staring at them nervously. To their surprise, he bowed deeply. "Thank you for saving me."

"It's alright, hyung. They're assholes."

Changbin elbowed him. "Watch your language. Woojin-hyung will beat your ass."

Felix glanced between them nervously. "B-But...how do I know they will not return?"

Jeongin tilted his head in confusion. "You'll be with us so they won't dare approach you."

"With you?!" questioned Felix, his head tilting in confusion.

"Yeah. The best way to protect you is to be by your side, hyung," explained Jeongin.

He flashed a heart-stopping smile. "We'll protect you."

From the next day, wherever Felix went, either Jeongin, Changbin, Seungmin, Hyunjin or Seungmin were with him.

Felix already knew the fellow '00 liners but never approached him because he was intimidated. So when he met them officially, he was ecstatic. He was equally excited when he met Chan, a fellow Australian.

But if Felix was honest, he enjoyed Jeongin's company the most. The younger had a way of making him feel at ease. Felix was comfortable with his sexuality, and he knew. It was only time till he was head over heels for the young boy.

Two months passed in a flash, and the boys were madly in love with each other, but oblivious to each other's feelings. It was driving their friends crazy but they couldn't do anything. It was up to the boys to work things out. 

Jeongin had been coming back from a trip to the supermarket and his phone rang. He picked it, his lips curving into a smile as soon as he heard the caller's voice.

Felix's deep voice always managed to do things to him.

"Hey hyung," he breathed.

"Hey, Innie. Where are you?"

"Ah. I'm coming back from the supermarket."

"So late?"

"Emergency errand. I needed to stock up my ramen and mom needed some groceries."

"It's late, Innie. Please be careful."

"I will, hyung." reassured the younger.

The older began to ramble about how he was so sure a teacher hated him. He was so passionate that it made him giggle.

Felix paused for a second. "Jeongin?"

"Yeah, hyung?"

"I need to tell you something."

"What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow. So wait after school, okay?"

"Okay, hyung-AH!"

Jeongin tumbled to the floor, scraping his knees and hands harshly. His phone slipped on to the floor.

"Jeongin?! JEONGIN?!" yelled Felix.

The boy watched horrified as the person brought their foot down and broke his phone. "NO!" 

"Well, well, well. Lookie here who we have. Little tough Yang Jeongin."

Kim Hikan.

"What do you think you're doing?" cried Jeongin.

The older snickered. "Is the baby finally being weak now that his bodyguards aren't here?"

"How could you do this?"

"You ruined everything!" yelled Hikan. "I could've been the most popular! Then you came along, ruining my reputation. Making people stand up to me. Being the absolute perfect boy."

"You were bullying innocent kids! I wasn't gonna let you do that! They did nothing to you! People didn't like you, Kim Hikan. They feared you. They didn't want to get a foot in their face, that's why they coddled you and tried to make sure they never got on your bad side. They were watching out for themselves. They didn't give a shit about you!"

"SHUT UP!" roared Hikan. "I'm gonna make you regret even talking to me."

Jeongin fought the best he could, but he was all bones. He was dragged to a park and thrown on to the ground.

"You're an asshole that targets peoples' insecurities and exploits them. You're despicable." hissed the younger.

"Shut that damn mouth of yours."

Jeongin staggered as his fist collided with his stomach. He clutched it, ignoring the pain.

"I hate you!" yelled Hikan, throwing another punch. "You and your stupid friends. You just won hearts everywhere while people treated me like shit!"

Jeongin fell to his knees. His head began to pulse. He felt a foot collide with his chest and he fell on to his back. Hian straddled him, throwing punches irrationally.

"Maybe if you tried to make friends instead of treating others like how they treated you, you wouldn't be feared." croaked Jeongin. Blood dripped down his chin on to his shirt.

"You say you envy us but you never made an attempt to treat someone equally. You just bullied everyone. If you wanted to befriend Felix-hyung, you should've talked to him, struck up a conversation, asked him what he likes, where he's from. but you decided to bully him into joining your posse."

Hikan froze.

"Let go of the past, Hikan-hyung. You're only haunted by it and it's ruining your present and future. Don't let it do that."

The older grit his teeth. He punched Jeongin again. "Don't give me that crap."

"JEONGIN!"

Hikan cursed under his breath and bolted away, leaving Jeongin there, breathing slowly and slowly losing grip on his conscious.

Felix rushed to Jeongin's side, tears filling his eyes. "Innie..." he sobbed.

"Hey hyung." sighed Jeongin.

"Look at yourself! We need to get you to a hospital!"

"We don't need to-"

Felix picked up Jeongin with ease and began sprinting.

"Hyung, I'm okay..." said the younger weakly.

"Shut up, Jeongin. You aren't." 

"Don't cry, hyung."

Felix sniffled. "I was so scared. That I was gonna be too late."

"He wasn't gonna kill me. He just needed a punching bag."

"It didn't need to be you."

"It did. I was the one that made him so angry."

"Don't justify his actions, brat."

Felix rushed into the hospital, skidding to a stop in front of a nurse. Her eyes widened in shock and she immediately yelled for a doctor, running off. Felix followed her, glancing at the younger boy in his arms occasionally.

Jeongin's eyes were on the verge of closing. He was so exhausted and he could slowly feel himself shutting off.

"Jeongin. Stay awake for us, okay?"

"But I'm tired," he whispered.

"We'll get you patched up, okay? Then you can sleep." negotiated the nurse. 

He nodded drowsily, sitting on the bed. The nurse asked Felix to step out so he took the opportunity to call Chan and Changbin.

**"Hello?"**

"Hyung! I'm at the hospital and Jeongin's hurt, hyung! He was attacked by that asshole Hikan and he's beaten up so badly and I'm so angry but at the same time I wanna cry, hyung, what do I do-"

**"Felix!"**

"Come fast, hyung. We're at the local hospital. Bring Chan-hyung." he whimpered.

**"We'll be there in ten."**

"Okay."

Felix slumped in a chair, with a sigh. True to his word, Changbin came storming in ten minutes later with an equally frantic Chan behind him.

Felix immediately burst into tears but managed to explain the entire story. It took all of Chan's willpower not to storm out, find Hikan and beat the shit out of him. Changbin, on the other hand, was worried about the youngest. The nurse walked out of the room and the three rushed up to her. She smiled reassuringly.

"Mr. Yang is fine. He's asleep right now. But you're free to go inside."

The three boys tiptoed inside and sighed at the boy's sleeping form.

"I want to beat that kid up right now." 

Changbin grabbed the boy's arm and shook his head. "Like Jeongin always says, it's his choice. We're not gonna do anything without his permission."

Chan huffed but complied. Felix just stared at the sleeping boy, sniffling occasionally.

"I was supposed to tell him tomorrow," he whispered, making Changbin's and Chan's jaws drop.

"Looks like I'll have to put that off till later," he said, laughing sadly. 

"Felix..."

Jeongin woke up the next day with his hand tightly clasped by another's. He sat up slowly to see Felix asleep with his head buried in his arms and one hand gripping his. Jeongin couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

The door opened and he looked away, trying to hide his smile.

"You're awake."

Jeongin turned to see Chan and Changbin standing at the doorway.

"Hey, hyungs..." he sighed.

"You don't have serious injuries. Just a lot of bruises. You're lucky he didn't know how to punch properly."

"I'll say," muttered Jeongin.

"We were worried. Felix called me, on the verge of tears, blubbering about how you were hurt and both of you were at the hospital and how Hikan had beaten you up."

"He caught me off guard. It was pretty late but I've gone so many times that I didn't think that anything would happen. Plus it'd been so long since we heard from him."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry anymore."

They heard a groan from the freckled-boy. 

"Finally up?" teased Jeongin.

Felix sat up faster than he ever had in his life. "J-Jeongin?"

"Hi, hyung. Thanks for saving my ass."

Felix huffed angrily. "You absolute ass."

"Hey! I didn't do anything!" 

"I told you to be careful! Why the hell did you do the opposite?!"

"It's not like I knew that the cantaloupe would randomly jump me!"

"I still hate you."

"You're not making sense."

"Piss off."

"Stop swearing at me!"

"Felix, how about you take Jeongin to the garden. Maybe the air will help you idiots calm down." cut in Chan, massaging his temples.

The younger rolled his eyes but helped Jeongin off the bed, holding him steady with an arm around his waist. Jeongin leaned against Felix, still quite exhausted and let himself be led to the garden. They sat on one of the benches, staring at the beautiful plants.

"Sorry for yelling at you." murmured the older.

"It's alright, hyung. I was equally bad."

"I was just so scared-" he began to tear up, "-Imagine if you went into a coma or something? And then forgot us or something?"

"This isn't a fanfiction, hyung. I doubt that would've happened." he said, laughing softly.

They sat in silence for a while. Both Jeongin and Felix were thinking the same thing. It had to be now. Otherwise...it would take too long.

"Hyun-"

At the same time, "Jeong-"

They looked at each other surprised. 

"You can go first, you had something to tell me after school right? You can say everything now."

Felix shook his head. "You go first," he said, firmly.

Jeongin sighed before turning his gaze back to the garden.

"We've been friends for a pretty long time, right?"

Felix hummed. It had been a pretty long time. Close to four months.

Jeongin let a nervous, shaky breath. How was he supposed to tell him?

_"I like you."_

Felix's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"I love how your reaction is in Korean when I spoke to you in English." laughed Jeongin.

"Y-You like me?!" squeaked Felix.

"Yes, that is what I said," said Jeongin, slightly nervous.

The Australian sat there, dumbfounded. Then it hit him. _Jeongin liked him. Jeongin liked him..... JEONGIN LIKED HIM. THIS ISN'T A DRILL. LEE FELIX GIVE HIM A FREAKING ANSWER._

"Uh...." was all that came out of his mouth.

_YOU IDIOT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GIVE HIM AN ANSWER NOT LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT._

"Felix-hyung?"

"Holy shit."

Jeongin burst out laughing. "Everyone knew except for you."

"That's not the only thing they knew."

The younger tilted his head in confusion.

"They know I like you."

Jeongin froze. "Huh?"

**Congratulations, Jeongin you've made yourself look like an idiot. Honestly are you really that slow?**

"Oh, crap."

It was Felix's turn to burst out laughing. 

"What an intelligent response."

"Shut up! Yours was equally bad."

"So we both like each other."

"Damn we're really oblivious. I thought you had a thing for Changbin-hyung."

"I thought you liked Channie-hyung!" giggled Felix.

Jeongin laughed, feeling giddy. The boy he liked......liked him back. It was a foreign feeling but made him happy. He raised an eyebrow as Felix moved in front of him and bent on to one knee. 

"Yang Jeongin. Will you be my boyfriend?"

"Weirdo." murmured the younger, a bashful smile forming. "I would love to."

Felix embraced him tightly, something he never wanted to give up. He caught Jeongin's gaze, blushing when the younger smirked.

Jeongin pulled him closer and placed his lips on his boyfriend's. 

**_How long did we wait for this?_ **

When they pulled away, Jeongin was beaming from ear to ear, while Felix had his own blissful smile.

**_I think the wait was worth it._ **


	6. Aid among situations of helplessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bang Chan was the only one to pull Hwang Hyunjin back into the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// use of drugs, assault, harsh language, abuse, self harm. please do not read if such topics make you uncomfortable.

_When Chan helped Hyunjin when he had no one._

Hyunjin lost everything he had in the span of a night. It's truly is scary how much your life can fall apart in eight hours. And it was all because he had agreed to go to one of those stupid parties.

Though Hyunjin was popular, he never felt comfortable in those crowded environments with sweaty bodies everywhere and random people making out. But Felix ended up dragging him there, and he had never felt more out of place. 

Hyunjin never wanted the 'popular' life. It came with so many expectations that he was.....well, expected to satisfy. People saw him as the daring, handsome, rebel bad boy type. He was really that "I would rather stay in sweatpants and a hoodie while watching reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and eating pizza" type of guy.

So, he ended up standing awkwardly in a corner, wanting nothing more than to run back home, shimmy out of his leather, skin-tight jeans and loose t-shirt and slip into bed with a tub of ice cream, watching Netflix.

It only became increasingly uncomfortable when people approached him, attempting to grind on him and trying to kiss him. He escaped to the backyard, relieved when he saw there were fewer people. He breathed in the fresh(er) air.

"Oh. What is the great Hwang Hyunjin doing here?"

Hyunjin turned to see a buff guy who he recognized from the football team. Jackson Wang. 

"I'm not a crowd person," he said, honestly.

Jackson held out a drink in his direction which he refused.

"Come on. You're here to party, right? Live a little. Enjoy it."

Hyunjin hesitated. There was an important lesson in every book right? Don't drink anything unless you've poured it yourself and it's from a closed bottle. Don't drink the fruit punch because it's practically never fruit punch. But maybe Jackson was right. Maybe it was time he lived a little. So he took the cup from him and downed the contents. He grimaced at the bitter taste that lingered in his throat and the burning sensation it had entered with.

"That was gross."

"Well alcohol is gross." teased Jackson.

Hyunjin didn't really remember much of the night. But when he woke up with a headache, he was horrified when he found hickeys littered on his neck and chest. He felt his stomach churn and he rushed to the bathroom, empty what was in his stomach out. He gagged, the taste of bile disgusting him and eyes burning with tears.

He almost upturned the bathroom until he found some concealer and foundation. He quickly covered the bruises and stumbled out. Trying to make sense of what had happened.

No, he knew he hadn't had sex with anyone. He was sure of that. But something made his heart uneasy, like the calm before the storm.

The storm indeed blew when he went to school on Monday. Everyone looked at him in disgust, like he was a murderer or worse. He kept his head down, confusion rattling in his brain. He looked up and saw his best friends. Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix and Han Jisung.

He immediately smiled. His friends could explain what was happening right?

"Seung-"

He stopped. His friends looked away. Jisung peeped a glance at him but the disappointment was evident in his eyes. They walked away, leaving Hyunjin there, shell shocked. That's when he became completely aware of the whispers and the stares. Feeling scared he ran out, all the way to the rooftop, slumping against one of the walls. He grabbed his phone, opening Twitter, frowning when he found thousands of comments directed towards him. 

The video was of...him? Making out with someone?! Hyunjin squinted. No, it wasn't him. Yes the build was similar and he had jet black hair, but, it wasn't Hyunjin. He knew that. But clearly, the rest didn't.

'Wow, Hwang is such a whore.'

'Pretty boy just wanted some playthings, huh?'

'Six guys? All from the football team? What a thirsty hoe.'

'Didn't he know some of them had girlfriends and boyfriends? Ugh, homewrecker.'

The comments continued endlessly. Hyunjin was horrified. That wasn't him. **It wasn't him.** He would never have done something like that. He had to tell them. But there was something that stopped him. Now that it was on the internet, it could never be erased. No matter how he explained it, he wouldn't be heard. Everything was.....useless.

That was the first time, in six years that Hyunjin cried. He sobbed into his arms, cries of pain and heartbreak filling the air. Sadly, no one was listening to the boy who had been framed.

Fast forward to eight months later. The new school year had started and they were three months in.

The change that was seen in Hwang Hyunjin was shocking. Even his schoolmates who had initially hated him...they slowly drifted back to him. Because if they were honest, people cheating and sleeping was common. It had merely gone out of hand. However, Hyunjin was the one who changed. 

He died his hair from black to silver, piercings on both his ears. He glared at anyone who dared approach him. Hyunjin had been a nice boy. He always helped his classmates and teachers. He smiled pleasantly at everyone and his eye smile made people go crazy. But now he cussed at anyone who disturbed him, was always seen with earphones plugged, never wore colorful clothes.

But some people didn't care. He was still beaten up behind the school and left there until he had the strength to get up. It's not like his parents cared. They too hated their son for bringing such a bad reputation to their family. His dad treated him as a punching bag and his mother didn't bat an eyelash.

Hyunjin had changed on the outside, but inside he was still broken. He was still a sad teenager that wanted to leave his life behind and move away. Since he would be turning 18 soon, he had already decided which colleges he would apply to.

The worst was when he bumped into Lee Felix, his 'best friend'. Felix and Hyunjin had known each other for almost thirteen years. They had sworn to stick by each other's sides when they were kids. 

'Looks like I was the only one who took it seriously.' thought the boy, his heart shattering some more.

Felix's eyes snapped to the boy when they accidentally bumped into each other. Hyunjin's eyes immediately hardened. He wouldn't allow himself to be weak, especially around one of the three that were supposed to stick with him.

"Hyu-Hyunjin!" called Felix, as the older was walking away.

Hyunjin turned around, lips pressed together into a firm line.

"Uhm, I was wondering-"

"Oh so now you want to ask me about something?" interrupted Hyunjin. "Funny how you didn't do that when it actually mattered, Lee."

Felix flinched. "I-"

"I get it. The three of you decided that believing the rumors would be the easiest, right?" he smiled somewhat sadly. "Glad to know you had my back," he whispered.

_"Lix, if I get into trouble someday, will you stick by my side?"  
_

_"Of course, Jinnie! Best friends always stick by each other's side. I'll always be by yours! I'll always have your back."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise!"_

Felix's eyes widened. "Hyunjin-"

"Just don't try to hurt me anymore. You already did enough damage to last a lifetime," he said, before walking away.

Once he was out of sight, he bolted to the roof. It had become a safe place for him. Since no one really came up and it was pretty high up. He leaned against the edge and began yelling, tears streaming down his face.

"I hate you! I hate all of you! I hate my so-called best friends! I hate Jackson Wang for giving me that stupid drink! I hate my parents for even giving birth to me! Why! Why did this happen! Who did I piss off? Who did I anger? Who the fuck decided I needed to lose everything?!" he screamed.

His cries were thrown into the skies like usual. He yelled, sobs wracking his body, till his throat started burning. Then he rested his head on his knees, curling into a ball.

"Quite a session, huh?"

Hyunjin didn't look up. "Fuck off," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Do you always do that?"

"Do you always poke your nose into other people's business?" snapped the boy, finally looking up.

The stranger stared at him, before holding his hand out. "Bang Chan, nice to meet you."

Hyunjin stared at his hand before grasping it and letting himself be pulled to his feet.

"Hwang Hyunjin," he whispered, wiping his tears.

"Well, Hyunjin wanna talk about it?"

So Hyunjin began his tale. He started from the beginning about how he disliked parties to the party to the next morning and what had happened in eight months.

Chan had interrupted a few times, like, "Felix?! As in Lee Felix?" and again like, "Jackson Wang?!" but Hyunjin didn't mind. He finally had the chance to explain everything to someone and expose the truth...it felt good.

Chan was so shocked by the end. "No one bothered to ever see it from your point of view?" he asked, exasperated. "Not even your best friends?!"

That's how a fresh wave of tears washed over him, but this time he sobbed in Chan's arms. The only one who had bothered to listen. 

"I'll help you, Hyunjin?"

"How, Channie? No one believed me," he said, his voice breaking in the middle.

"You said it was held at BamBam's house, right?"

"Yeah."

"He's an old friend of mine. Plus he lives in a mansion so there will be cameras everywhere. If we check the security cameras, we should be able to find everything."

"Why are you doing this, Channie?"

"Because Hyunjin, you don't deserve any of this. You're an angel whose wings have been forced down. And I'm going to be the person who will help you fly again."

True to his word, Chan did everything he could to help Hyunjin. When things were bad at home, he let Hyunjin crash at his house. His parents understood the boy's plight and immediately assured him that he could come to them for anything. When he got beat up, Chan was the one to patch him up. When he was on the verge of breaking down, Chan was the one to lend him a shoulder to cry on.

That wasn't the end of it. Apparently, Chan and Felix knew each other. So when Felix called out for the older, he was shocked to see him with none other than Hyunjin.

"How do you two know each other?" he spluttered.

Chan stared at him sadly. "Since when do you side with someone so easily, Lix?" he asked softly.

Felix knew exactly what he meant. How could he abandon his own best friend by giving into the rumors? He had been asking himself the same question for weeks.

As the two walked off, Felix decided it was time to straighten things out.

That wasn't the only surprise Hyunjin got.

"Hyung?"

Hyunjin almost fell due to the force with which the young boy threw himself in his arms.

"Jeongin..."

"Hyung...I was so worried." sobbed the boy.

"I'm okay," reassured Hyunjin, patting the younger's head.

"No, you're not! They've been beating you, you're being bullied. Not only that, the people who were supposed to be with you forever, left you! You're definitely not okay!"

"I'll be okay, then. Don't worry. Channie's helping me."

Chan smiled. " _That_ I am doing."

Jeongin stared at Chan for a while. Then he dragged the boy away so that Hyunjin couldn't hear. When they returned, Chan's was as red as a strawberry, and Hyunjin found it slightly amusing. 

"Oh yeah, Innie. Is Changbin here with you?"

The younger's smile widened. "Of course! That's the only way my parents would have allowed me to come."

"Let's go see him."

Chan followed them cluelessly. Jeongin skipped in front of them, humming a nostalgic tune. 

"Who's Changbin?"

Hyunjin smiled softly. "My first love."

Chan felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. "W-What?"

"Yup. When I was young, he was the first person I liked. But..." he paused casting a fond glance at the boy in front of them. "Jeongin liked him too. So, I gave up. Now....he's my closest friend and a brother I can depend on."

"So...you don't like him anymore?"

Hyunjin giggled. "Heavens no. Besides, he's Innie's boyfriend."

Chan couldn't help but smile. He was glad. 

Eventually, they did meet Changbin. Hyunjin teased him for his height like usual. Jeongin laughed when Changbin began to chase Hyunjin all around the house. Changbin and Chan found some stuff in common, like their love for music production and rap. 

Hyunjin heard that and without thinking blurted out, "You guys should meet Jisung-" he cut himself off and sighed.

Chan immediately hugged him, Jeongin joined and Changbin too. It would be alright, right? He had three people who actually loved him unconditionally, after all.

A week passed and finally, they met BamBam. The boy was more than willing to cooperate. His exact words were, "What assholes would dare do that to this puppy?! Chris let's go the security room right now!"

Hyunjin was always giggling with how extravagant the boy was with his gestures and the way he moved. But secretly, he was impressed.

BamBam helped them get the security tapes and sure enough, they saw Jackson, pouring some powder into the cup he would later give to Hyunjin. Chan and BamBam were seething while Hyunjin watched it, with a frighteningly expressionless face. They fast forwarded it and changed it to the room that Hyunjin had woken up in. They watched as six males dragged him into the room.

*what's happening in the video will be in italics*

_"Wha-What's going on?" slurred Hyunjin._

_Jackson grinned. "Don't worry, Hyunjin. We're gonna treat you well."_

_"Do you have the video ready?" asked another who happened to be Mark Tuan._

_"Are we really gonna sabotage his reputation his reputation like this?"_

_Jackson licked his lips. "He deserves it. He's a fucking tease. I'm not letting him off easy this time."_

_One of the boys stopped him. "If you fuck him, he'll know. He'll report all of us and we'll get caught. Especially you, he talked to you last. Hickeys should suffice."_

Hyunjin watched, sick to the stomach, as 'him' in the video had his skin feasted on as if he was food. Before he knew it, hot tears were about to fall, blurring his vision slightly. 

Warm arms hugged him, making him lean into the touch. "You don't have to watch if you can't, Hyunjin," whispered Chan.

He shook his head. "I have to see this."

The video continued. Even with that drug in him, Hyunjin put up a fight. He kicked his legs and tried to get out of their grip. But he was too weak. The video was fast forwarded slightly and they found Hyunjin lying in the room in the morning alone, rushing to the bathroom.

"Thanks, Bam. Could you send this to me?"

"What are you going to do, Channie?" whispered Hyunjin, his voice barely heard. 

"You'll see."

Four days after the viewing of the tape was a special assembly, where the parents of all the children and the students were seated in the audience. Hyunjin was dragged to backstage by Chan, confused.

"You don't have to do anything. Just stand next to me. Cry if you feel like it, hide your face in my shoulder if you need to. Let them see you be human." he whispered, cupping Hyunjin's face.

Then he leaned forward and kissed his lips softly before pulling away. He smiled sadly as if he expected a rejection. "I would've regretted it."

Before he could leave, Hyunjin pulled him back and pressed their lips together. "Me too," he whispered, once he pulled away.

The assembly began and everything was going smoothly. Meanwhile, Felix, Jisung, and Seungmin were watching, nervous for they were some of the few that knew what was going to happen.

The principal smiled at the crowd. "We have a special talk today. About one of our students. It'll be presented by Bang Chan, a senior."

There were a few murmurs of confusion but no one said anything. Chan walked onto the stage and behind him came, Hyunjin.

That was when the whispers broke out. Everyone was turning to talk to the closest person about the appearance of the boy. He felt like shrinking away, the whispers and stares too familiar. But something kept him there. Chan.

"I'd like your attention," he said, immediately shutting everyone up.

Chan looked around the room for a second before starting. "The student in question is the boy next to me, Hwang Hyunjin."

There were a few murmurs.

"At one point of time, he was the most loved student in the school. Everyone looked up to him, teachers always spoke highly of him, he was a loved son and friend. That changed when a certain party happened."

Hyunjin couldn't help but shift slightly behind Chan. What if things went wrong? What if people thought that he blackmailed Chan into doing this? What if? What if? That's all that ran through his brain. Every single bad thing that could possibly happen was buzzing in his brain. And they didn't stop till a hand gripped his. He looked up and saw Chan still talking to the audience, but his hand gripped Hyunjin's tightly.

"You had a reason to respect him. And that disappeared in what? Eight hours? Due to some video of a guy who looked like him? You guys didn't bother to go to him and ask him the truth. And we all know, Hwang Hyunjin isn't one to lie."

BamBam who was in the crowd, caught two groups trying to leave. One being Jackson and his group and the other being Hyunjin's parents. They were immediately stopped, the first group by BamBam himself, who nothing short of disgusted that his friends did that and the other by Hyunjin's friends, who were trying to redeem themselves.

"The truth isn't the truth without evidence, right? Hyunjin was apparently the boy who slept with six boys in the football team on the night of BamBam's party. Why don't we look at what Hyunjin really was doing?"

Chan nodded at someone in the wings and took the remote they held out. Upon pressing the button, the tape played, showing Hyunjin, standing in the kitchen, looking as uncomfortable as he remembered feeling. The video was slightly sped up and eventually shifted to the garden, where a figure walked up to Hyunjin. Jackson Wang.

"Now, here we have the entry of someone important. Jackson Wang. Part of the football team. One of the acclaimed victims. Let's see what he was doing, huh?"

Chan pressed the same button and on-screen played the same thing Hyunjin had seen in the security room. Jackson pouring something into a cup.

"This was the same cup he gave to Hyunjin. And this means only one thing. Hyunjin was drugged."

The crowd gasped, each person looking gobsmacked. Of course. They had never bothered to find out the truth, right? They would never figure that the boy had been drugged.

"Now let's fast forward, hmm?" asked Chan, pressing the button again. Now they saw the six boys, that had claimed to be victims, dragging defenseless Hwang Hyunjin into the room.

Felix felt his eyes water. "Seungmin..." he whispered.

"We fucked up. Big time." sighed the boy.

Hyunjin's eyes didn't leave the screen. He watched sick to the stomach as the 'him' of the past laid there, powerless and unaware of what was happening.

Everyone had heard what Jackson and his friends had said. Some felt shame. Others guilt. Some didn't care. 

Chan tugged on Hyunjin's hand, making the boy look at him. "Something to say?" he asked, quietly.

Hyunjin sighed, nodding. He was given a chance to talk, and he was taking it. He stood in front of the mic, glancing around the room. His eyes fell on Felix who was sobbing silently, Seungmin comforting him but about to cry and Jisung, staring at the stage, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He cleared his throat. "These eight months haven't been easy for me." he started. "Hell, it wouldn't be easy for anyone. But...sometimes you expect at least a handful of people to back you up."

His hard stare made everyone flinch. "I didn't have that either. My best friends...turned away from me...but I know they repent it. And...no matter how sad I was, I can't be angry at them, because I love them." he cast a loving glance at the three.

"There were some people, however, that I don't think I can ever forgive. Jackson and his group. You made me lose everything. I lost my friends, my family, my respect, my self-confidence. I was reduced to a pile of nothing. I never went out. I never touched anything that wasn't made from my hands. You made me scared of the world. You made me paranoid about everything. All for your selfish reasons. I wanted to give up on life. But that would mean losing. Because taking your life is quitting. Living was winning. But the rest of you didn't make that any easier."

He was beginning to rant so he took a deep breath. 

"If you were expecting an apology, I'll give one. I'm sorry to Felix, Seungmin, and Jisung. I'm sorry I couldn't give you enough to have faith in me. I'm sorry to my cousin, Jeongin. I worried him so much to the point he came to Seoul to check up on me. I want to apologize to Changbin because he had to miss out on school to come with Jeongin." he paused. "I want to apologize to Chan. Because he stuck with me for the past one and a half months, through my tears and yells and screams. He had to patch me up when I had bruises. Let me crash at his place when I couldn't handle things anymore. He kept me grounded. Made me feel normal. Treated me like a normal human being. I want to apologize to his parents-" he found them in the crowd and smile at them, "-for they were treating me like their own child, making food for me, understanding my situation and still accepting me. In other words, acting like loving parents."

Chan had by then intertwined their fingers. Hyunjin freed his hand and swiftly pulled up his sleeves, revealing slashed across his arms, from his wrists, all across. Some were white and fading, others were red and fresh.

"This is what I was pushed to. Taking pleasure from the pain. And I don't feel ashamed. Because this shows that I survived something."

He had grown emotional. That was the first time, Hyunjin let his tears fall in front all those people. Because they needed to see, he was human and had feelings. 

"In this world, we lash out without looking at things from all points of views. And that's something we should stop doing. So I hope this meant something to you. And anytime you go to bash someone up, without knowing the entire story, I hope you remember this entire story that was caused and rethink your decision. Because though you might not personally know them, those people are real humans that have emotions. And you tell them to kill themselves, isn't gonna make things better. In fact, you're just adding toxicity to this world."

He smiled a real genuine smile, leaving all of them breath taken. "Thank you for finally listening to me."

The assembly went on, as usual, the audience slightly shook up. Hyunjin and Chan were backstage, trying to take in all that had happened. 

"I'm so proud of you, Jinnie," whispered Chan, intertwining their hands. Hyunjin felt the heat creep up to his cheeks but he ignored.

"Thank you for being with me, Channie," he whispered back, getting a little emotion.

"I'm never leaving you."

They became quiet until Chan spoke again. "Hyunjin. Will you go on a date with me?"

Hyunjin's eyes widened before his lips curved into a smile. "Of course."

The assembly ended and a group of people came rushing backstage. Felix, Seungmin, and Jisung threw themselves onto Hyunjin, apologies, and tears filling the air. Hyunjin laughed and hugged them tightly.

"I forgive you guys. But I want ice cream every week as payment." he huffed, a teasing smile gracing his lips.

Felix laughed, wiping his tears. "Deal."

Chan was being smothered by his parents, who were so proud. After Chan, they immediately hugged Hyunjin, whispering that he was so brave and how proud they were.

But the happy atmosphere was shattered as two people entered the room.

"Hyunjin."

Hyunjin shuddered visibly. In a flash, Chan was by his side, holding him protectively. The tall boy saw Felix raise an eyebrow suggestively, making him roll his eyes.

His mother stepped forward, but that only made him step back, closer to Chan.

"Hyunjin, let's go home."

"No." he whispered.

"What?"

"You guys treated me like shit for the past eight months! You acted like I wasn't even your son. I expected you to comfort me, give me reassurance that it would be okay, cheer me on and help me move on. What did you do? You beat me up, cursed me for ruining your reputation, mom didn't bother to tell a small 'It'll be okay', dad didn't bother to find out the truth." he said.

Damn, he was crying a lot today.

"So, no. I'm not coming back home. I'm going with my friends, Chan and his parents because they actually give a fuck about me."

"Hyunjin!" yelled his mom, her face red with embarrassment and anger. "Stop this nonsense and come with us!"

"Believe me, Mrs. Hwang the only thing I will be doing is going to the police to report how my 'parents' fucking abused me. I won't listen to you anymore, I'm becoming an adult in a few months and you can't stop me after that."

Chan stepped forward. "I'm sorry, ma'am, sir. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. You're making everyone uncomfortable, especially Hyunjin."

"What have you done to our son? You must have messed with his brain!" hissed his father.

Hyunjin scoffed in disbelief. Even after all of this, they refused to spit out an apology and blamed Chan for everything? 

"Chan has done a lot of stuff, _dad_. He saved me from everything. He protected me. He helped me become better. He stopped me from taking my life! He stuck with me through this and didn't let go of my hand. He made me believe that things would be _okay_ eventually. He healed the damage _you_ caused."

He paused, grabbing Chan's hand and pulling it forward to show his parents.

"The only thing he's done on all of this is made me fall madly in love with him. And I don't care what you say. _I'm never leaving him._ "

Finally, Chan's dad stepped forward. "I'm going to ask you to leave the premises before I call authorities. It'll get ugly."

"Who do you think you are-"

"I've been serving in the police service for three years. An investigator for one year. I have enough authority to run a search of your house to see if it is suitable for the growth of a child and if unfit, Hyunjin can be taken out of your custody and will be placed in our care." he paused, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want to try me?"

The couple turned on their heels and walked out with a huff and glare at their son. Hyunjin almost fell to the floor, the strength in his legs gone. Luckily Chan held him, making sure he wouldn't get hurt.

"Fall madly in love with him, huh?" whispered Chan, a teasing smile on his face.

Hyunjin blushed, hitting his arm weakly. "We still have a date so wait till then for your embarrassing lines, Romeo."

But that didn't stop Felix and Jisung from teasing him about it. He was a blushing mess but he saw the grin on Chan's face and decided that it was worth it.

Hyunjin and Chan started dating not long after. They were absolutely smitten for each other and it was obvious, with the love-filled gazes that were thrown in each other's directions. Not long after that, Felix declared that he was dating Lee Minho, the school's best dancer. Seungmin and Jisung were slowly becoming comfortable with each other and it was only time before they ended up together. 

"Hey, Chan?"

They were in Chan's room, lying lazily on his bed.

"Yeah?"

"Why were you there on the roof that day?" he asked.

"I was actually...skipping class?"

Hyunjin gasped dramatically. "Goodie two shoes Bang Chan was skipping class?!"

"Oh shut up, Jinnie." 

"Why did you decide to talk to me?"

"Well, the thing is I knew the rumors going around...but they're rumors for a reason. The people I talked to, I asked them if they had confirmed it with you, and they said no. So when I heard to screaming on the roof, I decided to help you."

Hyunjin cuddled closer to the older. "Thank you. For deciding to help me."

"I'm glad I did."

_He really was._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for this dark chapter. there won't be many more chapters like this, i promise.


	7. Late nights among stressful jobs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung is a singer at a bar, trying to keep his life together. Changbin is a rich man who stumbles across Jisung's beautiful voice and becomes addicted.

Jisung hated his job. Mainly because he worked at a bar. He hated alcohol and its effect on people. He wasn't a bartender (thankfully) but was a singer there. He was usually very insecure about his voice, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He would go the bar, sing almost five songs, hang as if he wanted to be there (truth: he didn't want to be there) and then leave after getting his pay. 

But it wasn't only that, Jisung also worked in two other places. In the morning, from 5:30 to 10:30 he worked at the public library, then from 11:00 to 3:00 he helped kids at a cooking class. Then from 3:15 to 9:00 he attended his evening classes before rushing to the bar and eventually reaching home at 12:00. It was exhausting and he could feel himself losing strength every day.

But it was the only way he could live. So he had to do it.

Like usual, he slipped into a pair of skin-tight jeans and a silk shirt before walking onto the small stage. The bar he worked in was classy, and it was where the majority of deals between businessmen happened.

He adjusted the mic and nodded to the man in the wings to start the accompaniment. He usually sang sad songs, because it fit the mood and wouldn't disturb the people who were handling important deals.

Jisung often lost himself in the moments he sang songs. It was the one time that people didn't know him as Han Jisung but as 'the singer from the bar'. And he liked that. He didn't want to be someone that could be recognized, he wanted to be someone that they wouldn't bat an eyelash at.

As usual, he rushed home at around 11:30, collapsing onto his bed once he reached. His bones ached from running around and he hated the amount of responsibility he had to take despite being so young. With a sigh, he sat up and pulled an old photograph from the box next to his bed. He ran his thumb over it gently, as if he was caressing his cheek. Tears filled his eyes as he stared at him, with his beautiful brown hair that was tousled by the wind and deep brown eyes that were sparkling with mirth.

"Oh hyung...I miss you," he whispered, trying to stifle his sobs. 

Lee Minho. The boy in the picture. Jisung's best friend. He had vanished two years ago, leaving him alone, to fend for himself. But Jisung could never bring himself to hate the older. They were so close, Minho treated him like a younger brother. They bickered but at the end of the day ended up cuddling.

"Why did you leave?"

~

Changbin rolled his eyes as the man in front tried to argue with him.

"Sir, this is my offer. Take it or leave it. If you choose not to accept it, negotiations will break down and Seo Corporation will no longer be a business partner." he said, firmly.

The boy wasn't one to get angry but he had been sitting for almost an hour and a half trying to negotiate with the man. The man huffed but nodded, quite reluctantly.

"Great. The CEO will get back to you with all the details and formalities. You can expect them by tomorrow afternoon. We'll give you a week to send the confirmations back. It was good doing business with you, Mr. Choi."

The man, Choi Seungcheol, smiled tiredly and shook the younger's outstretched hand. "Isn't it tough, Changbin? At such a young age?"

Changbin sighed. "I'm doing my best, sir. Don't want to be a disappointment," he said, his smile turning bitter. 

Seungcheol easily identified the regretful undertone and underlying sharp meaning. "Good luck, kiddo. Sometimes...it's better to leave and make yourself happy, then stay and make everyone else happy, ya know." With one last smile, he walked out of the bar leaving Changbin in his thoughts.

"Would you like anything?"

Changbin sighed, closing his eyes for a second. "I'll have a whiskey on the rocks, please," he said, smiling tiredly at the lady. She nodded and disappeared to tell the bartender.

The boy couldn't help but ponder on what Seungcheol had told him. "Leave and make myself happy, huh?" he murmured. "I wish."

Seo Changbin had harbored a liking to music since he was a child. Having been born into a well off family, he was allowed to explore all he could in music, even venturing into music production and lyric writing. Unbeknownst to his parents, he had even released a decent number of songs on SoundCloud under the name SpearB. There were a decent number of views but he knew it would never be enough to convince his father. 

A glass was placed in front of him. He nodded and grabbed the glass, downing the contents in one go. Placing the glass back down, he frowned when soft piano music filled the room. His eyes snapped to a boy, standing under the spotlight, hands clutching the mic and its stand.

_Some days, things just take way too much of my energy_  
_I look up and the whole room's spinning_  
_You take my cares away_  
_I can so overcomplicate, people tell me to medicate_  
_Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'_  
_How do I know if this shit's fabricated?_  
_Time goes by and I can't control my mind_  
_Don't know what else to try, but you tell me every time_  
_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_  
_And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'_  
_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_  
_And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'..._

Changbin watched transfixed as the boy sang softly, his voice raw with emotion. His eyes were shut tightly, and his body swayed slightly as if he was lost in the music completely. His blonde fluffy hair and chubby cheeks made him look adorable. But at the same time, he had a thin waist and slender legs. In simple words, he was beautiful.

The boy immediately called over the waitress. 

"Yes?"

"Who is that?" he asked quickly, eyes not leaving the singer.

The waitress raised an eyebrow. "The singer, sir?"

"Yes, the singer," he said, slightly impatiently.

She smirked. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't reveal that. Employee discretion."

Changbin huffed, glaring at her. "Well, I call that bull."

"Sorry, sir. In order to protect each employee's privacy, we avoid sharing any private information. However, there is no rule that prevents you from coming here frequently to see him and eventually gathering enough courage to talk to him and ask him his name."

He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you, Jeongyeon."

"Jeongyeon-noona, to you, mister."

"Well, Jeongyeon-noona." he sighed. "Looks like that's exactly what I'll be doing."

"Good. I'm not gonna help you this time, Binnie. Everything you do should be your decision."

"I know, I know." he murmured, looking back to the singer. "He's beautiful."

"You might wanna be careful with this one, Bin. He's got a load of problems and doesn't need another."

"What happened to 'protecting employees' privacy'?"

"He's clearly hurt. Something happened and he can't move on. Be careful. He's fragile. From what I know, singer boy, is a university student, with three jobs including this one."

"Three?!"

"Yeah. That's why I'm saying be careful. He might think you're gonna make him work for you or something."

Changbin's brain was already racing. With this, he clearly couldn't introduce himself to the boy as 'Seo Changbin, son of the CEO of Seo Corporation'. Instead, he would have to meet him as 'Changbin, 20-year old with the dream of pursuing music'.

"Alright, noona. I'd better get going before the CEO gets angry."

She frowned. "You mean your father?"

He gave her a look. "You know he stopped being that for me, years ago."

~

To be honest, Jisung had noticed, a boy who looked older than him would always come and sit in the same spot, wearing mildly casual clothes and just listen to him. Then after he finished his shift, the mysterious boy would smile at him, and leave.

Jisung felt strangely comforted by the stranger's presence. His smile was kinda cute, too. But another part of Jisung was cautious too. After all, the guy was a stranger. Jisung had no idea what his intent was, so he was careful.

One night, the mystery boy approached him, wearing a grey hoodie and skinny jeans.

"Hi, my name is Seo Changbin," he said, smiling nervously.

Jisung smiled warily. "Uh, hello."

"Um, I don't know how to say this without sounding weird..."

"You're the guy that sits in the corner table right? The one that leaves right after my shift."

Changbin turned pink. "Uhm...yeah."

Jisung giggled, seeing the pink blush dusting his cheeks. "I have a question, though?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you always come when I sing? Uhm...you come a few minutes before I go on and leave after I'm done so..."

"I hope you don't think I'm weird!" panicked Changbin. "I just really......like.....your voice......" his voice became quiet closer to the end.

Now it was Jisung who was blushing. "Oh. I don't think you're weird. Thank you..." he murmured, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie over his hands to hide how they were shaking.

The older smiled brightly. "Well, see you tomorrow, ballad boy."

Jisung watched as he walked away. _Ballad boy...so he had noticed._

The boy walked back home, the boy named Changbin stuck in his mind. He was curious, how long would the older keep it up?

~

It became a routine for Changbin and Jisung to stand outside the bar and talk for a few minutes before the older wished him a good night and walked off. Jisung had grown to like it. He admired Changbin for sticking around for so long. He still didn't know the younger's name but didn't get discouraged. Every day he greeted him with a soft smile.

"Hey, ballad boy."

"Hi, Bin-hyung."

"You always sing _Breathin'_ , right?"

Jisung sighed. "I do."

"Sentimental value?"

"A lot."

However, he didn't pry further, much to Jisung's surprise.

"You're not gonna ask questions?"

Changbin sighed. He turned to look straight into the younger's eyes. "Ballad boy, have you seen your face when you mentioned it. It's nothing but pain and heartbreak. I'm not insensitive enough to ask you about something that has scarred you so badly." he said softly.

"Bin-hyung...I-"

"You don't have to. It still pains you so much. So don't worry, ballad boy-"

"Jisung. Han Jisung."

Changbin's eyes widened. "Jisung," he whispered, testing the way the name rolled of his tongue. He smiled brightly at the younger. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Trusting me."

That's how the two became closer. Talks outside the bar moved inside and extended from a few minutes to almost too long. But Jisung never felt tired around Changbin. He felt alive again. Changbin was ecstatic. He fell harder than he thought, and it was driving him crazy. But he knew better than to move so fast, he didn't want to lose Jisung's trust in him.

Problems started when Jisung didn't appear to work one day. Changbin grew slightly worried, it wasn't like Jisung to miss work. But he shrugged it off. Perhaps Jisung had fallen sick. Or he had work from university. It worried the black-haired male but he didn't want to jump to conclusions so he decided to wait it out. 

However, when three days had passed, Changbin grew more and more worried until he finally begged Jeongyeon to tell him where Jisung lived. She too had grown worried, so she gave him the address and he sprinted there. 

He came to a stop in front of a shabby apartment. Was Jisung really living here? Climbing the stairs he checked the paper Jeongyeon had given him and sure enough, he was in front of the right door, _4419_.

He knocked on the door, stepping back a bit, waiting for someone to open the door. The door swung open slowly. Changbin's eyes burned as a familiar boy came into view.

"Bin-hyung?"

"J-Jisung." sniffled the older.

Jisung stared wide-eyed at the short male. Changbin was here? Why...?

Before he could react, the other had pulled him into a tight hug. He felt his shirt become slightly damp.

"I was so worried, you idiot."

"I'm sorry, hyung....."

"Are you okay?!" he asked, pulling away. He held Jisung's face, inspecting every spot before moving to his arms.

Jisung gently pulled his arms out of his grasp. "I'm fine, hyung. Don't worry."

"How could I not worry, Jisung? Not coming to work for three days, you hate skipping work! I thought something happened to you! You could've been dead in a ditch or bleeding on a street or tied to a chair in some basement-"

"Hyung." interrupted the younger. "That won't happen. It's okay," he said softly.

Changbin sniffled, wiping his tears with the heel of his hand. "As long as you're okay."

Jisung smiled. "I'm okay."

"But why _were_ you not coming in?"

The smile on his face immediately vanished. "Uh..."

"Sensitive stuff, huh?" whispered the older, with a smile.

"Yeah..."

"Take care of yourself, Jisung. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ah, hyung! Wait!"

Changbin turned around to see the boy shuffling on his feet nervously. "Yeah?"

"Do you think I could have your number? Uh, so next time I can text you if something happens so you won't panic."

The older smiled, handing the blushing boy his phone. "Sure, Sungie."

So it was safe to say, Jisung completely trusted Changbin now.

~

It was foolish of Changbin to think things would be okay.

"Who's this?"

Changbin stared in shock as a picture of him and Jisung was shown. He recognized it as the night before, Changbin had complimented the younger a lot, leaving him a blushing mess.

"No one."

"Cut the bullshit. Who is this boy?"

"Han Jisung."

"How do you know each other?"

"He's......he's a singer at the bar."

"Basically he's not of good social standing."

Changbin glared at the man. "He's amazing. I don't give a shit about social standing."

"Tell me Changbin. Do you love him?"

The boy hesitated. He stared at the picture, remembering the way Jisung's cheeks were dusted with a deep red and how his eyes sparkled.

"Yes. I love him," he said softly.

His father stayed quiet, making his heart sink.

"I will allow this one thing. Everything else you must listen to me. I will just allow you to be with this boy."

Changbin's head snapped up. He teared up, throwing himself at the elder.

"Thank you so much, dad! I love you!" he cried, hugging his father tightly.

The man sighed, returning the hug. "I love you too, Bin."

Changbin pulled away, a grin on his face. Mr. Seo watched as his eyes sparkled with happiness. Perhaps he really had made the right decision.

"I'm going to see Jisung now! I'll see you later!" he said, rushing out.

Changbin raced to Jisung's house, hoping the younger was home. He rushed up the stairs, ignoring the burn in his lungs and hurting legs. He calmed himself and knocked, trying to wipe the grin off of his face but failing miserably.

"Hyung?"

Changbin hugged Jisung tightly, burying his face into the younger's shoulder.

"Changbin-hyung? Are you okay?"

The older pulled away giggling.

Jisung swore he felt like the world was moving in slow motion. He watched in awe as Changbin grinned brightly, the corners of his eyes crinkling in happiness. He felt like his breath had been knocked out of him. Seeing the boy's wide smile and sparkling eyes. Oh god, Jisung had never been a big believer of love and Cupid, but damn he felt like he'd just been shot with an arrow of love.

"Oh Jisung I'm just so happy." sighed the older, the ecstatic look not leaving his face. They decided to stop standing at the doorway and walked in, closing the door behind themselves.

"I was just about to make some pancakes." said the younger, smiling. 

Changbin's eyes lit up. "I can help."

The two decided to make the pancakes together (the kitchen ended up being a mess in the end and they had to clean it all up). They ate it while watching reruns of some American show (though to be honest they weren't really paying attention to the screen but were sneaking glances at one another when the other wasn't looking).

Jisung's phone interrupted their argument about Super Smash Bros Brawl, making them huff.

"Oh? Jeongyeon-noona?" greeted Jisung, answering the call.

"Jisung! We got a message from the Park Founders, they're holding a party at our bar. You don't have to do the usual songs. They want peppy and upbeat ones. Of course, we'll have the DJ but dad wants you to sing too."

Jisung gasped, eyes widening. "Uhm, alright noona!" he said, before ending the call. He started pacing around the room, muttering himself.

"Jisung?"

The boy didn't answer him.

" 'Sungie. What's wrong?"

Jisung looked at him, stepping back a bit when he noticed how close they were. "Uhm, it's nothing, hyung."

"What did Jeongyeon-noona say?"

"Apparently there's a party at the bar. And noona and the boss want upbeat songs. I have no idea what to sing!"

"Hey, it's okay. It's tonight, right? You still have a few hours. You have a lot of time to decide." said Changbin, patting his shoulder comfortingly.

"Okay...I'll look through my playlists," he said, grabbing his phone and falling onto the couch. Changbin followed suit, looking over the younger's shoulder, occasionally offering his own input.

"Ooh!" he exclaimed suddenly, making the singer jump. "I know that song!"

"Dream Fanfare? It's a Japanese song."

Changbin nodded excitedly, grinning. "You should sing it!"

Jisung found himself smiling fondly at the child-like adult. "Just for you, hyung," he said teasing, not noticing the older become red.

It was only an hour before they were supposed to leave that Jisung rose with an anguished cry. "What am I gonna wear?!" he cried.

Changbin shook his head, a smirk on his lips. "You think I haven't already figured that out?"

"What?"

The doorbell rang making the younger jump. "Who...?"

Changbin opened the door, thanking the man on the other side. Then he closed the door and walked back to the confused male, shoving a paper bag into his arms. "Change into this."

The boy wordlessly walked into the bathroom, while Changbin waited for him.

"Uhm, hyung...is this right?" he asked nervously, coming out of the room.

Changbin's eyes widened. 

The boy had been given an emerald green loose shirt, half tucked into his skin-tight leather jeans. He wore a black choker that had a small green gem in the center. Silver earrings dangled from his ears. 

"You look great." breathed out the older, in awe.

Jisung blushed, scratching his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Why don't you go change?"

Changbin walked past him quickly, in an attempt to hide the furious blush that had spread on his cheeks. He closed the door, resting his forehead against the surface. "Fuck, he's so cute yet hot at the same time," he whined quietly, pulling his shirt off. 

He took a look into the bag and groaned. "I swear Hyunjin..." he muttered, cursing the designer that had given him the clothes. 

Jisung was scrolling through his phone when he heard the sound of the door being opened. He looked up and froze. 

Changbin walked out a red choker around his neck, an earring with a red gem hanging from one of his ears. He was wearing a red silk shirt that was a bit wide-collared, skin-tight black jeans similar to Jisung's.

"How do I look?" he asked, raising his arms awkwardly.

Jisung bit his lip, eyes not leaving the boy in front of him. "Amazing. I--uh--y--you look great," he said.

Changbin smiled. "Great, let's get going."

They walked to the bar, glad that they had decided to bring their coats because it was terribly cold. They talked about everything and nothing, topics that they didn't know about each other.

"You never did tell me what your family does." reminds Jisung.

Changbin's smile dropped. They still had ten minutes so he couldn't cut it off. But some part of him wanted to stop lying to Jisung.

"Promise you won't hate me," he whispered.

Jisung's eyebrows shot up. "Hyung, I could never hate you. After all, you've done for me..."

The older sucked in a breath.

"Seo Corporations," he said.

"Seo Corporations? Your dad works for Seo Corporations?"

"Jisung, my last name is?"

"Seo--oh."

"Yeah."

"Your dad..."

"CEO of Seo Corporations."

"Changbin-hyung..."

"I'm sorry I hid it, I just didn't want you to see me as some stupid rich kid, I wanted you to give me a chance to talk to you and-"

"I'm not angry..." interrupted Jisung. "I'm just a bit surprised."

There was a moment of silence before Jisung broke it. "So do you have chefs that make you exotic dishes or do you always stick with convenience store ramen?"

"Jisung!"

"What? I'm just asking!"

They reached the bar, able to hear the loud music from outside. Jisung gulped nervously. He had never performed in front of so many people. What if he messed up? 

"Don't get nervous. You're going to be great," whispered Changbin, intertwining their fingers.

Warmth blossomed in Jisung's chest and he felt butterflies flutter in his stomach. Was this love? He didn't know, but he did know one thing. He never wanted to let Changbin go.

They slipped inside and made their way backstage. Jisung's nerves had slightly disappeared, all thanks to Changbin. He gave him a bright smile.

"Wish me luck," he said.

Changbin stared at the boy and knew he would regret it if he didn't do something that night. So he surged forward and pressed his lips to the younger's.

Jisung stiffened, eyes widening in surprise. The feeling was so foreign to him. But when the older was about to pull away, he held him in place, closing his eyes and relaxing into the kiss.

What was that feeling? Not even fireworks could begin to describe it. It was like his body was on fire yet at the same time it was like he had been plunged into ice water.

They parted, breathing heavily, foreheads pressed together and eyes closed.

"I'm so glad I did that." murmured the older, gazing at Jisung fondly.

"I'm glad you did that too." the singer whispered. 

"Good luck, Jisung."

Jisung smiled, nodding before slipping onto the stage. Changbin collapsed onto the plastic chair near him, letting out a sigh.

"That was pretty bold of you, lover boy." 

The boy sighed. "Noona."

"Are you happy?"

"Over the moon. He kissed me back. Does that mean-"

"He likes you back, Bin. Now tonight, ask him out."

Changbin closed his eyes, remembering the feeling of the younger's soft lips on his. 

"What about your dad?"

"He said it was okay, noona. He said that he'd let me be with Jisung," he said, getting a bit emotional.

"Oh, Bin..." she cooed, hugging him.

Out of all the younger friends she had, she knew Changbin had suffered the most, unable to follow his dreams and forced to get ready to take over the company. But if he was ready to give up his dreams and passions for one boy, that boy really meant everything to him. And she hoped that nothing would break their relationship.

Time passed and Changbin was listening to Jisung singing happily on the stage. At one point he peeked from behind the curtains to see the boy bouncing on stage. He held the mic in his hand, jumping across the stage, a wide smile on his face as he yelled out the lyrics. 

The dark-haired boy realized, Jisung really did love music, it was his life. And perhaps he could help him that.

"Hyung!" yelled Jisung, grabbing his arm.

Changbin tilted his head in confusion, gasping when Jisung dragged him onto the stage.

"What are you doing, Ji?" he hissed.

Jisung winked at him, loud beats starting. Changbin recognized the song and shook his head, feeling a mic being pushed into his hand.

 **Everyone is on the same color.** **Anyone with a different color would be picked on.** _I hid it in fear_ _and tried using the same color as the rest._ **Don't run away from** **what you love** _tomorrow._ _Puff up your chest and shine!_ **The world is vast you know? Look!** ** _Let's raise our_** ** _wishes._** _Go after your dreams_ **without flattery!** ** _Let's go and leave our negative selves behind._**

Jisung grinned widely hearing Changbin singing. The older sang with so much power, his voice rough yet mellow. They stood face to face and Jisung hooked a finger under Changbin's chin, making the boy look at him.

_Your color looks like a one and only, beautiful flower coloring_ _the world._ _Hey! You don't have to be shy! Raise your face._ _Be what you are, great._

Changbin rolled his eyes before spinning on his heel to face the audience. He grinned widely when he saw Jisung do the same and they threw their arms out.

**Is there a loss if you can't do what you have or want to? It's a competitor's pledge.** _The dreams of other people are a no-no! Enjoy who you are._

Mr. Seo who was in the crowd, watching with a mixture of awe and pride as he saw Changbin twirl on stage, lips stretched into a wide smile. Perhaps Jisung really was the one for him.

They smiled at each other, mimicking the dance moves they had occasionally seen in the video, cracking up slightly when they stumbled. It was a show to the audience but they too were enjoying themselves so much. 

_What I like someday_ _will become rusty,_ **be completely forgotten, and get lost.** _What lie is that! It'll be with you forever._ _Even now,_ **you can become thrilled,** _by the dream taking over your heart._ **You even forget about the times you're laughing.**

It was as if the song was made for them, speaking about their experience, their insecurities. And as if they were singing it to each other, as a message of support and love.

**Your color is so awesome that things like a name it doesn't need,** **and it looks like a star illuminating the world.** **You don't have to match with anybody! And just that way,** **be what you are, great.**

Changbin winked at the boy, the words falling from his lips easily. This song was like second nature to him.

_We're going to miss fun stuff if we keep waiting right? Let's go and meet them._ **Start by taking your first step on! Enjoy your dreams.**

They finished the song, the crowd roaring with delight and applause filling the building. The two boys waved to the crowd, sweat dripping off of them. Fingers intertwined they ran off stage.

"That was fun," admitted Changbin.

Jisung smiled, hugging the older. "It was."

The night went on, the two never left each other's side, basking in their shared love and affection. 

As they walked to Jisung's house, Changbin cleared his throat. 

"Jisung?"

"Yeah?"

"Do...do you like me?"

Jisung glanced at him for a minute. "Yes, hyung. I do."

The older bit his lip. What would he say?

"Hyung?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

He froze for a second. 

"Hyung?"

"Of course. Oh god, Jisung. You don't know how long I've wanted to be with you. I-" he breathed.

Jisung shut him up by capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. 

"I love you hyung."

"I love you too, Ji."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed!! the songs are called 'breathing' by ariana grande 'dream fanfare' by honeyworks!! can't wait to see you in the next chapter <3


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